The Evolution of Chinese Security Engagement in Latin America

Abstract

In 2020, during his state visit to Latin America and the Caribbean, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo underlined the importance of keeping the People’s Republic of China out of the LAC region, which is (still) regarded as the US’s “strategic backyard”. Earlier already, US politicians had stressed the need for close cooperation between the US and the Organization of American States in countering the rise of autocratic regimes (and the expansion of Beijing’s sphere of influence) in Latin America. The essays compiled on this volume examine the PRC’s role on the ground in Latin America and the Caribbean by assessing the regional level as well as select bilateral relationships. With contributions by Mateo Arbeiter, Pamela Aróstica Fernández, Bruna Bosi Moreira, Benjamin Creutzfeldt, Jefferson dos Santos Estevo, Evan Ellis, Victor Jeifets, Víctor M. Mijares, Haibin Niu, Nele Noesselt, Detlef Nolte, Ana Soliz de Stange, Laís Forti Thomaz and Eduardo Velosa.

“The Evolution of Chinese Security Engagement in Latin America,” in China’s Interactions with Latin America and the Caribbean: Conquering the US’s Strategic Backyard? Nele Noesselt, Ed., Baden-Baden, Germany: Techtum-Verlag, January 2021, pp. 9-32.