Latin and Caribbean Leaders Strengthen Alliance with China

China is expanding its influence in Latin America as regional frustration with the United States grows. During the ninth Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit, held Wednesday in Honduras, leaders openly criticised U.S. trade and immigration policies. Belize has been a member of CELAC since 2011.

A Chinese delegation met with regional officials on the sidelines of the summit, and President Xi Jinping is set to host a China-CELAC ministerial meeting in May. As Washington’s grip on the region loosens, Beijing is positioning itself as a strategic and economic alternative.

At the summit, 11 heads of state condemned U.S. tariffs and crackdowns on immigration. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned that “arbitrary tariffs destabilise the international economy,” adding that “autonomy is in jeopardy” amid attempts to “restore former hegemonies.”

The summit ended with the Tegucigalpa Declaration, signed by 30 of the 33 CELAC members. It rejected “unilateral coercive measures” seen as violations of international law. Argentina, Paraguay, and Nicaragua declined to endorse the statement but gave no public explanation.

President Donald Trump’s selective tariff suspension failed to calm regional frustrations, and it now threatens to alter the geopolitical alliances in the Americas.