In a recent press conference, the spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guo Jiakun, issued harsh statements against the actions taken by Washington in Latin America. “The American continent is nobody’s backyard,” said the spokesman, referring to US efforts to limit – and, in some cases, dismantle – the regional alliances that Latin America has developed with China over the last several decades.
According to Guo, the United States has been carrying out cyberattacks and digital surveillance in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is fragmenting trust in the region. His statement came in response to the US announcing the installation of several cell towers in Panama, replacing Chinese technology.
In addition, he noted that there is continued pressure from the United States for countries in the area to align with one side or the other: “The United States should stop pressuring other nations to choose sides.” Meanwhile, Guo said that China has historically maintained a friendly relationship with Latin America through mutual support and equality.
For his part, Zhu Jingyang, Chinese ambassador to Colombia, said: “Latin America and the Caribbean are nobody’s ‘backyard.’ The US should stop dictating and dominating, politicizing economic, trade, and technology issues, interfering in other countries’ internal affairs and undermining their sovereignty and independence, forcing other countries to take sides and restricting cooperation with China, and rather focus more on promoting regional peace, stability, development, and prosperity.”
Furthermore, Jingyang added: ”China has always supported Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Panama, in their defense of independence and their opposition to foreign hegemony, intimidation, and interference.”
For its part, the United States doubled down on its approach: “The United States is working hard to counter China’s negative influence in the Western Hemisphere and make the Americas more secure.”
Reclaiming the ”backyard”
In 2013, during a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Guatemala, all the representatives present applauded when, in the plenary, John Kerry (then-secretary of state) said: “The Monroe Doctrine is dead.” This doctrine refers to the fact that the American continent belongs to the United States as its essential sphere of influence. Hence, on several occasions, the US political establishment has called Latin America and the Caribbean its “backyard”.
In this way, Kerry affirmed that the era of US imperialism in Latin America and the Caribbean was over. Today, it seems that history has proven the skeptics right. In April 2025, Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of Defense, said on The Wild Cain Show that the US must regain influence in its “lost backyard” despite China’s growing presence in the region.
Hegseth’s fears seem to be right. China has established itself as the second most important trading partner in the Caribbean and the first in South America, with trade surpassing USD 480 billion. Brazil, Chile, and Peru are countries that today trade in enormous quantities with China. These ties were deepened on May 12 at the last meeting between the Asian country and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC, which includes 33 countries of the region).
But Donald Trump’s administration does not seem to be willing to give up its “backyard”. For several months now, the United States has been strengthening its presence and influence in the region. It collaborated with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to lock up hundreds of Venezuelan migrants in the Central American country. The US also pressured the government of right-wing José Raúl Mulino into cancelling the trade agreements that Panama had with China.
The possibility of establishing several US military bases has also been considered in Panamá. In Ecuador, a few weeks ago, the legislature approved the amendment of the constitution to allow the establishment of foreign military bases in the national territory, which seems to point to the possible entry of US troops into Ecuadorian territory. The Trump administration has also hardened its position on Cuba, which was once again included on the list of countries allegedly financing terrorism.
Overall, the United States appears to be trying to recover its influence in the region through a combination of:
- Greater economic leverage: through loans from its financial organizations
- Political declarations about the affairs of other countries: Washington’s ambassadors often issue communiqués on the internal affairs of the countries where they carry out their diplomatic mission
- Greater military presence in the region: through expanded deployments, and security agreements
China, on the other hand, seems unlikely to give up its economic ties with Latin America, a key point in its global trade development known as the Silk Road. The heated trade dispute is, therefore, expected to continue.
