Latin America and China in a Changing World: Strategic Dialogue at DPLST–LAC–ABRI 2025 on Power, Cooperation, and Regional Capabilities

Photo: DPLST–LAC–ABRI 2025.

As part of the DPLST-LAC-ABRI 2025 conference, “Development and Diplomacy in the Global South,” a roundtable titled “China and Latin America in a Changing World: Connections, Challenges, and Strategic Competition” was held in the Congregation Room of the Institute of International Relations at the University of São Paulo (USP).

Juliana González Jáuregui (FLACSO Argentina / CONICET) moderated the session and proposed a participatory format based on guiding questions, fostering an open exchange between panelists and the audience.

The roundtable featured a group of prominent Latin American specialists:

Camilo Defelipe (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia) reflected on the Colombian case and the country’s fragile strategic relationship with China—two issues that, in his view, are closely tied to current geopolitical dynamics. He emphasized that although Colombia joined the Belt and Road Initiative, this decision was not accompanied by a coordinated national policy or institutional planning. Rather, it was a symbolic gesture aimed at gaining access to the international community. He also stressed the structural limitations Colombia faces in attracting Chinese investment due to weak territorial governance.

Eduardo Tzili-Apango (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Xochimilco, Mexico) focused on how U.S. pressure has significantly influenced Mexico–China relations. He noted that Mexico’s new position within the USMCA includes more explicit clauses discouraging Chinese presence, affecting investment projects, trade, and technological cooperation. He also introduced the concept of “discretion diplomacy” to describe the previous Mexican government’s foreign policy toward China.

Lorena Herrera-Vinelli (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador – PUCE) offered a critical perspective on Ecuador, highlighting the structural limits of its foreign policy. She observed that despite trade agreements with China, Ecuador has not experienced meaningful internal development in terms of knowledge transfer or strategic benefits. She also emphasized the challenges posed by weak governance, political polarization, and the urgent need for a long-term strategy focused on sustainability, innovation, and strengthening the local productive sector.

Parsifal D’Sola Alvarado (Andrés Bello Foundation – China–Latin America Research Center) provided a regional overview, with a focus on Venezuela. He highlighted the stark contrast between official rhetoric and the reality of the bilateral relationship: despite high levels of debt to China, no new loans or major direct investments have been granted in recent years. He also warned of the risks posed by special economic zones as tools of Chinese strategic projection, and discussed Latin America’s challenges in building analytical capacity, technical expertise, and influence in the face of nondemocratic global actors.

Throughout the discussion, panelists expressed shared concerns about the lack of regional coordination, limited state capacity to negotiate with China, and the tendency to rely solely on bilateral frameworks. They also underscored the urgent need for greater investment in knowledge production about China—from both academia and civil society—in order to avoid asymmetric, unsustainable relationships that ultimately harm both sides.

With active audience participation, the session concluded with a call to promote deeper political, academic, and civic dialogue on the Latin America–China relationship in an increasingly complex global context.

Note: Original text in Spanish. Translated by Large Language Model (LLM) technology.

---

About the panelists

Juliana González Jáuregui
FLACSO Argentina / CONICET

PhD in Social Sciences from FLACSO Argentina, with a Master’s in International Relations and Negotiations. She is an Associate Researcher in the International Relations Department at FLACSO Argentina and an Assistant Researcher at CONICET under the Program for Strengthening Research and Cooperation with China/Asia in Science, Technology and Innovation. She coordinates the Chair of Chinese Studies at FLACSO and has held research residencies at Fudan University, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Brown University, and Columbia University. She represents FLACSO Argentina at the Fudan-Latin America University Consortium (FLAUC) and has participated as an expert in international forums on Latin America–China relations.

Camilo Defelipe
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

Professor of International Relations at the Faculty of Political Science, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. He holds a PhD from East China Normal University, and two master’s degrees: one in International Trade from the University of Barcelona and another in Contemporary International Politics with a focus on China from Jilin University. His research focuses on the discursive construction of the Belt and Road Initiative in Latin America and China’s role in Colombia’s energy transition.

Eduardo Tzili-Apango
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Xochimilco

PhD in Political and Social Sciences with a specialization in International Relations from UNAM. He holds a Master’s in Asian and African Studies with a focus on China from El Colegio de México, and a BA in International Relations from BUAP. He is a member of Mexico’s National System of Researchers (SNII) and holds the PRODEP desirable profile distinction. Recipient of the “Dr. Marcos Kaplan” Award for best doctoral thesis in Law and Social Sciences (2024), he has published over 60 academic works. His research interests include global public goods, geopolitics, and China’s international relations.

Lorena Herrera-Vinelli
Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE)

PhD in International Studies from FLACSO-Ecuador, where she also earned her master’s and diploma in International Relations. Author of the book “In the Shadow of the Dragon”, her research explores asymmetric interdependence between China, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. She has represented Ecuador in regional bodies such as ECLAC, the Andean Community (CAN), and UNASUR. In public service, she has served as Institutional Advisor and National Project Coordinator. She currently teaches and conducts research at FLACSO and the Institute of National Higher Studies.

Parsifal D’Sola Alvarado
Fundación Andrés Bello – Centro de Investigación Chino Latinoamericano

Founder and Executive Director of the Andrés Bello Foundation. He is a foreign policy analyst specialized in China–Latin America relations, with a focus on Venezuela, and a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub. In 2019, he served as a foreign policy advisor on China for Venezuela’s interim government. From 2008 to 2016, he lived in Beijing, where he worked as a journalist and researcher. He holds a degree in Telecommunications Engineering and two master’s degrees (from Columbia University and SOAS, University of London), as well as an advanced language diploma from Beijing Language and Culture University.