ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 examines the role of the BRI in relations with Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to 2017, Chinese officials rejected the idea that these regions were part of the BRI. While the BRI was geographically expansive, the Western Hemisphere appeared beyond its scope. However, in 2017, China started to sign BRI memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and BRI-related deals with governments in Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. This expansion of the BRI to the region occurred as the US began a concerted pushback against Chinese dealmaking and influence. This chapter offers an overview of the BRI’s still-short history in Latin America and the Caribbean. It analyses what the BRI means in the context of China’s developing country diplomacy in the region, and how it is playing out against widening US-China strategic rivalry.
