China in Latin America: June 2025

Diplomacy: On June 1, China began offering visa-free entry to citizens from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. The trial program allows travelers to stay for up to thirty days on “business trips, tourism, family visits, cultural exchanges or simply transit,” according to a statement by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Colombia officially joined the BRICS New Development Bank in an effort to broaden its global financing sources amid growing diplomatic uncertainty with the United States. “This accession opens up new financing opportunities for strategic projects and is a key step toward diversifying partnerships and strengthening the country’s economy,” the official Colombian presidency X account shared on June 19.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 27 as part of an international tour of China, Italy, and Spain. The agenda included trade cooperation and energy investment, according to Ecuadorian newspaper La Hora. Following the meeting, Ecuador announced that state-owned construction company Power China will invest $400 million into renewable-energy projects in Ecuador.

The eleventh BRICS Parliamentary Forum was held in Brazil from June 3 to 5. Tie Ning, vice chairperson of China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee, attended the forum and met with members of the Brazilian government to discuss expanding China-Brazil relations. During the forum, Brazilian lawmakers advocated for increased investment and trade between countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Brazilian President of the Chamber of Deputies Hugo Motta proposed using local currencies in trade to reduce reliance on the dollar.

Spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Guo Jiakun criticized U.S. foreign policy in Latin America following news that the United States is coordinating with Panama to replace seven existing telecommunications systems run by Chinese company Huawei. The U.S. Embassy stated the $8 million project supports the strategy to “counter the malign influence of China throughout [the Western] hemisphere.”

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said he is concerned about China’s growing engagement in Latin America and lack of transparency surrounding involvement in the region. “[China doesn’t] make a clear distinction between the state and private sector, whereas in the United States, the separation is fundamental,” Landau noted in a virtual press conference following a trip to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico to discuss migration and U.S. commercial investment opportunities in the region.

Trade: Venezuela is partnering with Chinese oil firms following the U.S. government’s decision not to renew Chevron’s oil license, which accounted for close to 25 percent of the country’s oil output. Venezuela’s national oil company signed agreements with two Chinese firms, Anhui Guangda Mining Investing Co. and China Concord Resources.

Peruvian blueberry producers are pivoting to Chinese markets as the United States continues to impose punitive tariffs.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd., and Lufthansa Cargo Servicios Logísticos De México signed a memorandum to “strengthen airfreight connectivity between Mexico and China.” That collaboration intends to increase freighter operations, streamline supply-chain flows, and develop joint marketing efforts.

Infrastructure: Multiple Chinese state-backed firms are negotiating with a multinational consortium to join a bid to acquire Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s global ports, two of which are along the Panama Canal. China opposes the deal due to the Panama Canal’s shift to Western ownership, including the American firm BlackRock and the Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company.

Google officially signed an agreement with Chile to develop a trans-Pacific submarine cable that aims to improve digital connectivity between Chile and Asia. The Humboldt Project hopes to cement Chile as a digital hub in Latin America, attract investment from global tech companies, and strengthen relations with Asian countries—particularly China, Chile’s largest export market.

China’s state-owned CMPort invested $714 million for a 70 percent stake in Vast Infraestrutura, which operates the only privately owned terminal at Port of Açu in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. That investment is part of China’s strategy to broaden trading capabilities in the region.

Chinese technology firms Huawei Technologies and ByteDance are setting their sights on Brazil’s digital infrastructure. Huawei Technologies is nearing an agreement to use data centers operated by Dataprev, a Brazilian state-owned company, according to Folha de S.Paulo. ByteDance, parent company of TikTok, is preparing to invest in a large-scale data center for TikTok in Brazil.

The shipment of 121 electric buses from Shanghai, China, to Copiapó, Chile, is underway to position the city as the first in South America to offer solely electric public transport. The fleet will be deployed across twelve bus routes in the city.

Security: China has offered Peru support in combating crime through shared technology and management platforms at the Latin America and the Caribbean-China Development Forum held in Lima, Peru. “We are ready to develop training and cooperation programs in accordance with Peru’s needs, sharing advanced technologies and management experience, bringing a greater sense of security and well-being to the Peruvian people,” said Chinese Ambassador to Peru Song Yang.