Biden and the U.S.-China-Latin America Triangle

In the U.S., all eyes are fixed on how President-elect Joe Biden will handle the growing pandemic, a struggling economy, and a polarized nation. And then there is the matter of the country’s relationship with China — the U.S.’ number one trading partner, and an emerging rival superpower in the Western hemisphere.

Mr. Biden has already selected his foreign policy team, which includes the first woman leading the intelligence community and the first Latino in charge of the Department of Homeland Security. The transition team’s discourse already differs significantly from the Trump administration, especially concerning migration and climate policy.

But foreign policy experts do not expect any major changes toward China, believing that Mr. Biden will maintain outgoing President Donald Trump’s hardline policy toward the Asian giant.

“The principle that China is a strategic rival to the U.S. has bipartisan support, and this also includes the role of China in Latin America,” said Bruno Binetti, an analyst with Washington-based think tank The Dialogue. “What might change, as in all foreign policy, is the instruments rather than the goals or the understanding of the problem.” 

Under the Trump administration, the U.S. ignited a trade war by imposing tariffs on more than USD 550 billion worth of Chinese products. It proceeded to threaten governments that aligned with Beijing and launched its own plans to compete with Chinese investment through President Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Hostility towards Chinese engagement in Latin America and around the world underpinned U.S. foreign policy under Mr. Trump ever since he took office in January 2017. These long-standing concerns have been echoed by Mr. Biden and the Democratic Party platform.

“Democrats will be clear, strong, and consistent in pushing back where we have profound economic, security, and human rights concerns about the actions of China’s government,” read the 2020 party platform. 

Throughout the campaign, both the president-elect and Mr. Trump stated their intentions to play...