China’s Military Cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean
Chinese military engagement is neither the most significant aspect of its activities in LAC nor the core of its strategic concept for engagement there. China has mainly grounded its presence in LAC through economic ties.22 China has positioned itself as Latin America’s second-largest trading partner after the United States, and its Belt and Road Initiative has expanded to include nineteen countries in the region.23
China, however, has made efforts to extend its military cooperation in the region, steadily institutionalizing its military ties with regional countries. The October 2015 China-CELAC [Community of Latin American and Caribbean States] Forum, comprised of eleven Latin American states including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela, represented a significant advancement in this endeavor.24 China began convening regular conferences to discuss broader international security concerns, and the number of participants expanded dramatically. As Beijing pursues a new position in Latin America, the summits have served as one of the main platforms for boosting China’s military ties with the region. In December 2022, China hosted a defense forum attended by twenty-four Latin American countries, a unique vector for Beijing to expand military cooperation with the region.25 With commitments to advance defense cooperation and coordinate efforts with China, the defense forum gave Beijing a substantial platform to increase its military and security cooperation with LAC.26
Comparative Analysis of U.S., Russian, and Chinese Military Cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia and China have not made any new arms exports to the LAC since 2018 and 2019, respectively.89 This can be partly explained by the substantial reduction in imports of military equipment by LAC countries, with the market experiencing a decline of 54.11 percent between 2012–2016 and 2017–2021.90 The halt in the expansion of the region’s defense budgets, marked by the end of the commodities boom in 2014 and the additional pressure exerted after that on the resources of states by COVID-19, explain the absence of new arms orders from LAC during the 2017–2021 period. However foreign military presence has increased substantially under the Biden regime .
Furthermore, concerned about Russia’s growing influence in LAC and the security risks resulting from Russia’s strong foothold in the regional military equipment market, the United States in 2017 adopted the Act Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions (CAATSA).92 This law discouraged countries from expanding their defense ties with Moscow and contributing to the unchecked expansion of Russian sway by imposing restrictions on the acquisition or resale of Russian weapons.93 Additionally, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States pushed for imposing harsher sanctions on countries acquiring Russian weapons to hinder the Russian military-industrial complex and Moscow’s ability to fund its war against Ukraine while extending its leverage in other regions.94 Consequently, these conditions allowed the United States to regain its position as the region’s leading arms supplier, at 21.10 percent in 2017–2021, and consolidate it after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.95
Conclusion in brief
Latin America and the Caribbean have become focal points for major powers in the context of increased geopolitical competition on the international stage. The United States, China, and Russia have all recognized the importance of the LAC in their respective policy frameworks and have prioritized military cooperation as a key strategy to strengthen their positions in the region.
Regarding U.S. foreign policy, the military sector has emerged as the primary means of strengthening its regional presence. The United States maintains the most significant military footprint among the three powers in LAC. This is evident through the large number of military installations it controls or has access to, its predominant role as a provider of military aid, the extensive structure of its joint military exercises, and the importance of SOUTHCOM as a vector for deepening and strengthening its regional operations. As a result, the U.S. military has assumed a crucial role in U.S. engagement with LAC countries, contributing to maintaining its position in the region.
However, the United States is beginning to run out of steam to maintain its position, as evidenced by the reduction in the number of military installations at its disposal and the reduction in forces and resources allocated to SOUTHCOM for its operations. Finally, the United States sees a significant challenge in the involvement of its rivals in LAC, who are encroaching on its reserve space in their quest for increased geopolitical influence in the region. As a result, although Russia and China have a lesser presence on the continent, their importance has increased to the point where they are considered threats by the United States.
China has expanded its engagement with LAC countries through a joint forum structure, broadening its focus beyond economic relations to include security concerns and creating defense conferences to strengthen ties with military leaders of the armed forces of the LAC. Furthermore, China has overtaken the United States as a provider of professional military education, assuming a dominant role in LAC in this area. It has challenged Washington’s reserved areas of cooperation with the region by positioning itself as a key partner in the fight against regional insecurity. China has further developed its military ties with several LAC countries through naval port calls, military exercises, defense cooperation agreements, and the supply and operation of high-technology equipment for dual civil and military use in the region.
In conclusion it seems strange the current administration ,having abandoned $132 billion of US military hardware in Afghanistan ,which has now found it's way around the globe could be all that concerned . Perhaps another administrative oversight or a perplexing plan ?.
I'll add this : Supplying Israel with moldy military aid ,while neglecting LAC well being and dumping seemingly unlimited funds to Ukraine is indeed TROUBLESOME ,IMO !.