Lessons from Paraguay and Guyana’s brushes with Chinese vaccine diplomacy

The ambition and capability of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to affect the political affairs of nations across Latin America and the Caribbean have only grown during the global pandemic. Recent events in Guyana and Paraguay show that COVID-19 vaccines have influenced governments, either directly or indirectly, toward Beijing’s political preferences.

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Chinese engagement in the Dominican Republic: An update

Chinese advances in the Dominican Republic that once inspired concern in Washington have gone largely unrealized. For the U.S., the Dominican Republic represents both a fleeting opportunity and challenge in its struggle against China’s expanding presence in the greater Caribbean region.

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Populism, China, and Covid-19: Latin America’s New Perfect Storm

The strategic environment of Latin America is in the early phases of a profound, negative transformation reflecting the combined effects of three of the most powerful global forces of our era: (1) the spread of a new, populist model for capturing democratic states with vulnerable institutions and transforming them into authoritarian regimes with expanded levels of elite-sanctioned criminality; (2) the Covid-19 pandemic’s profound, multi-dimensional, long-term blow to the region; and (3) China’s advances in pursuit of its economic ambitions, which have profound economic and political consequences for its partners.

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Chinese-style democracy

The public spat between the United States and China at the recent bilateral summit held in Alaska clearly showed that future relations between the two world powers will not only be very difficult but could also escalate dangerously.

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China’s advance in Panama: An update

This piece examines the evolution of China’s position in Panama under the Cortizo government. It finds that China’s advance has suffered significant, if not necessarily enduring, setbacks under Cortizo, reflecting a combination of enhanced legal scrutiny, problems inherent to the Chinese projects themselves, and the adverse effects of the pandemic and corruption on the commercial and administrative environment in the country.

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Chinese advances in Chile

Both the positive aspects and the limits of Chile’s relationship with China merit further attention by other nations in the Western Hemisphere, both in terms of how to achieve benefits from engaging with China through strong, transparent institutions and what to guard against.

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New directions in the deepening Chinese-Argentine engagement

The December 2019 inauguration of President Alberto Fernández and Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in Argentina returned to power a Peronist government that has not only moved the nation in an increasingly left-populist direction, but has also opened the door for a substantial deepening of the country’s already significant relationship with the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

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Re-examining Caribbean-Chinese relations

Instead of attempting to counter Chinese influence in the region, U.S. officials and policymakers should focus on providing suitable alternatives to Caribbean states, shifting to a more cooperative approach in the region.

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