China in Latin America: July 2025

BRICS: Brazil hosted the seventeenth BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, et al.) summit from July 6 to 7. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend. Members who were present signed amid a commitment to grow multilateralism and protect international law. They agreed to increase International Monetary Fund quotas and the World Bank’s footprint in emerging economies, while recognizing the Tropical Forest Forever. Three additional documents were approved: the “BRICS Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance,” the “BRICS Leaders’ Declaration on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence,” and the “BRICS Partnership for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases.” 

On July 7, during the summit, the Brazilian government and the China Railway Institute reached an agreement to form a Brazil-Peru bi-oceanic corridor. Research will commence to build a railway stretching 4,500 kilometers, connecting the Port of Chancay in Peru to the Brazilian railway network. That project is expected to reduce the time and cost of exporting goods to China. 

CK Hutchinson: Last month, Chinese officials threatened to block the sale of Hong Kong–based company CK Hutchison’s international ports. China is demanding that its state-owned company, COSCO Shipping, be included in the deal; otherwise, the ports, including one on either end of the Panama Canal, will not be sold to the U.S.-linked consortium. According to Reuters, COSCO is seeking veto rights within the consortium, which would allow it to block decisions that do not align with China’s agenda. 

Public Opinion Polling: According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, more people in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico had a favorable opinion of China than an unfavorable one. In the three countries, 47 percent, 51 percent, and 56 percent, respectively, of those surveyed had a favorable opinion of China; 32 percent, 40 percent, and 34 percent had an unfavorable opinion of the country. For Argentina and Mexico, those numbers do not represent a significant shift from last year’s survey. In Brazil, though, the share of those who reported a favorable opinion of China rose by six percentage points.  

Despite those views, 66 percent, 58 percent, and 51 percent of respondents in the three countries reported that they have “no confidence” in Xi to “do the right thing regarding world affairs.” 

Diplomacy: On July 21, Argentina announced that Chinese citizens with U.S. or EU visas will no longer require Argentine visas to visit the country for travel or business.  

A spokesperson for Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said that Lai has “no plans” to make an overseas visit in the near future, two weeks after reports stated he had planned a diplomatic visit to Belize, Guatemala, and Paraguay for August. The spokesperson cited a recent typhoon in southern Taiwan and ongoing trade concerns due to U.S. tariffs, though reports indicate that the Trump administration denied Lai permission to visit New York, leading him to cancel the planned Latin America visit as well.  

Mexico City held the Hongting Forum: Meeting of Civilizations Between China and Mexico on July 19. Hosted by Xinhua News Agency and the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the forum brought together almost one hundred guests from across Chinese and Mexican public life to promote China-Mexico cultural relations. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian recently stated that China “firmly opposes the unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States against Cuba and the interference in the Caribbean country’s internal affairs under the pretext of supposed human rights.” 

Trade: Brazil and China are exploring a new initiative to establish a dedicated soybean supply chain between the two countries. “Soy China” will be tailored to meet Chinese sustainability and quality standards and include provisions monitoring land expansion, carbon footprints, and pesticide use. 

Such an initiative is likely to strengthen an already well-established supply chain. China imported roughly 10.6 million metric tons of soybeans from Brazil last month, 86.6 percent of its total soybean imports and a 9 percent increase from 2024. That level of growth was likely driven by a strong soybean harvest in Brazil and reduced U.S. soybean imports.  

A train carrying eighty-four, twenty-foot equivalent units of vehicles left Chongqing, China, for Chancay Port, the Chinese-built mega-port recently opened in Peru. That trip marks the first time that the New International Land-Sea Corridor, a key trade corridor connecting western China to global markets, has connected to the Chancay Port. 

The port’s inauguration cut shipping times between Peru and China from thirty-five days to twenty-one days, according to Peru’s minister of agrarian development and irrigation.  

Chinese buyers booked their first shipment of soybean meal from Argentina since approving imports from the country in 2019. The order, made in late June and set to ship later in July, came as China tried to avoid U.S. soybean imports amid the trade war with the United States. Though the shipment is small, at thirty thousand tons, it represents a trial run that could lead to increased exports in coming months.  

Chinese automakers exported over $2.05 billion of cars to Mexico between January and April. That figure, a 5.6 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024, made China Mexico’s top foreign car supplier. 

Investment: Following geopolitical uncertainty arising from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Chinese auto company BYD decided to cancel plans to build a major factory in Mexico. Though still intending to expand production to the Americas, BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li said, “We want to wait for more clarity before making our decision.” 

BYD recently began production at its new factory in Camaçari, Brazil—its first outside Asia. The company’s first electric vehicle manufactured in Brazil rolled off the production line at the plant late last month. Though the model is only part of a strategic preparation phase before full production begins, the company plans for the factory to be “fully functional” by the end of 2026.  

Cuba’s Industrias Nexus S.A. and China’s Hangzhou Iunke Industrial Development Co., Ltd., established a joint industrial venture in Cuba to produce footwear, leather goods, saddlery, plastics, and textiles. The partnership came as Cuba attempted to attract foreign investors and strengthen unproductive sectors. 

Venezuela held the Great China-Venezuela Expo in Caracas, Venezuela, from July 4 to 6, where the two countries signed three new bilateral agreements focusing on strengthening key sectors in Venezuela such as agriculture and energy. Those included an agreement with the China Development Bank to modernize and reactivate Venezuela’s hydrocarbons industry.  

The Coopesantos Wind Power Energy System officially began operation in Costa Rica on July 9. Developed by SINEXCEL, a Chinese state-owned renewables company, and Wasion Energy, a Chinese energy technology company, the project stands as a landmark achievement in the China-Costa Rica collaboration on renewable energy. It also marks SINEXCEL’s first advanced 1250-kilowatt energy storage system in Central America. 

Yongmaotai Automotive Technology, a Chinese supplier of aluminum alloy auto parts, announced plans to invest $63 million into building a new factory in Mexico.