A view of Cerro Tusa in Venecia, Colombia. Photo: VCG

The US Congress on Friday hyped China's influence in Latin America at a hearing, claiming China's continued presence in the region will be constrained as Washington shifts its strategic focus to Latin America. Chinese analysts noted that such hype lays bare Washington's hegemonic nature to deprive Latin American countries of their independent choices, as well as its anxiety over its own weakness in competing with China for cooperation in the region.

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission on Thursday held a hearing on so-called "China's expanding interests in Latin America," claiming that US policy would exert pressure on China's ties with Latin American countries and limit China's presence and activities in the region, per a VOA report.

Some US participants claimed that US actions in the region, most consequentially in Venezuela, are likely to "exert downward pressure" on certain categories of Chinese engagement, particularly in domains that Latin American governments perceive as triggering red lines for US policymakers, according to testimony of the hearing on the commission's website.

Sun Yanfeng, director of Latin American research at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Friday that driven by an over-securitization mindset, the US regards all normal cooperation projects between China and Latin America as threats to its security interests in the Western Hemisphere, which essentially reveals that Washington still views exchanges between China and Latin American countries through a Cold War mentality.

"The US' distorted mindset is rooted in the Monroe Doctrine, treating Latin America as its exclusive sphere of influence and barring other countries from engaging there. Buoyed by its intervention in Venezuela, Washington seeks to dominate the region in geopolitics, economy and critical minerals," Sun said.

"China-Latin America cooperation follows equality, mutual benefit, no political strings and non-interference, delivering tangible benefits to local people. Washington's attempt to restrict China's participation only exposes its hegemonic nature to deprive Latin American countries of their independent choices," Zhang Bingqian, assistant researcher of the Institute of Latin American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.

Recently, the US has been hyping up China's influence in Latin America. Top US commander for South America General Francis Donovan claimed at a Congress meeting on Tuesday that Chinese port and space projects across Latin America are all seen as potential dual-use military assets.

According to Sun, the US' hype is a reflection of its own strategic anxiety. Washington finds itself at a distinct disadvantage when competing with China in cooperation with Latin America across the economy, infrastructure, critical minerals and new energy sectors. "Unable to compete fairly, it resorts to covert sabotage, which lays bare its twisted and helpless anxiety," Sun noted.

In December 2025, China issued the Policy Paper on Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the third of its kind in less than two decades, stressing that China stands ready to join hands with Latin America and the Caribbean to promote the five programs on solidarity, development, civilization, peace and people-to-people connectivity to advance shared development and revitalization, and write a new chapter in building a China-LAC community with a shared future.

"China-Latin America cooperation enjoys a solid foundation, and their deep economic bonds will not break. As the gap between US investment and commitments in the region widens, the effectiveness of US coercive diplomacy is waning. The trend of Latin American countries pursuing independent and diversified diplomacy is irreversible. Guided by the logic of equality, mutual benefit and common development, China-Latin America relations will maintain a momentum of steady and in-depth progress," Zhang said.