However, China still needs to react to the US's actions in order to maintain its role in Latin America, he said. In 2025, China's trade with Latin American countries tallied US$518 billion, up 6% year-on-year. Meanwhile, US trade with Latin America excluding Mexico totalled only $365 billion, compared with more than $800 billion in trade with Mexico alone. China recently financed a railway project linking Brazil to Peru's newly developed Chancay Port, designed to transport commodities from Latin America to China. "It is unclear what the US can actually offer Latin America.

Source: Bangkok Post January 11, 2026 22:37 UTC