It Takes Two to Tango: China’s Growing Influence in Latin America and the Caribbean

In this installment of “Countering Chinese Communist Party Influence Around the World,” leading experts provide insights and analysis into China’s malign influence in our hemisphere or neighborhood: Latin America. Vandenberg Coalition Executive Director Carrie Filipetti speaks with Director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Dr. Ryan Berg and Dr. R. Evan Ellis, professor of Latin American studies at the U.S. Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute. In this series, the Vandenberg Coalition shifts the focus beyond the Indo-Pacific and into various regions around the world where the Chinese Communist Party continues to threaten American interests. Each episode in the series discusses China’s growing influence in a given region, how it measures against American influence, how to define our relationship with the region in light of competing priorities, and what America can and should be doing to better protect and advance our national interests.00:00:01 Opening by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti 00:01:23 U.S.-Latin American security & defense cooperation and foreign direct investment (FDI) 00:04:46 China’s global export of political ideology 00:06:51 Implications of China’s control over critical minerals for the United States  00:10:28 Weaknesses of Latin American regulatory architecture    00:13:22 China’s geopolitical and economic advantages over the West in Latin America  00:19:07  Three historical phases of China’s strategic engagement in Latin America 00:23:37 Risks of China’s involvement in Latin America’s defense sector  00:30:19 Threat of Chinese interoperability in Latin America 00:40:56 China’s role in Latin American democratic backsliding 00:45:24 Nexxus between China and U.S. fentanyl epidemic 00:51:34  Mexico’s role in the global fentanyl trade & American border policy  00:56:18 U.S. grand strategy of Chinese deterrence  in Latin America 01:00:06 Balance of U.S. strategic interests and values  01:05:19: Closing by TVC Executive Director Carrie Filipetti