China's role in the democratic retreat of Latin America and the Caribbean: “Economic ties are just the beginning, and will expand later”

The Americas Project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released its pioneering report this Thursday. China's influence can be seen in democratic retreat in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The event featured thorough analysis by experts, including the Director of the Americas Program. Ryan C. Berk; Deputy Director and Senior Member, Christopher Hernandez-Roy; Vice President of Research and Analysis at the National Endowment for Democracy CChristopher Walker; Doctor Kelly Piazza, Associate Professor of Political Science at the United States Air Force Academy; and Lt. Gen Andrew A. CraftFormer deputy commander of the US Southern Command.

For more than a decade, the United States has focused on China's growing influence in the region and, in particular, has questioned China's actions. economic, diplomacy, principles And Security This Asian giant can contribute Democratic retreat Experience in Latin America and the Caribbean during this time.

That is why the report titled Democratic Retreat in China and Latin America and the Caribbean: An In-Depth Analysis, The People's Republic of China (PRC) represents a comprehensive effort to better understand the mechanisms by which this democratic backlash can be exacerbated.

The study included 13 case studies of countries in the region, all of which identified responsible experts in China Major or secondary economic-business partner. However, this “This is just the beginning” And as a kind of front, over time, countries have become dependent on the Asian giant, which is concentrating its efforts on isolating governments from the international sphere and increasing its hegemony.

Also, connections begin to expand through a series of mechanisms Propaganda of the authoritarian modelIn this their Influencing media, education, defense and people-to-people diplomacy.

On the other hand, once settled in the country, China provides Economic and diplomatic support For regimes that practice democratic backsliding, this makes it easier for them to stay in power, even as these governments become increasingly isolated from the international system.

Although common trends are identified among affected countries, the report makes clear that relations with China do not always end in weakening democracy, nor do all signs of this have a direct link to Beijing.

However, experts call America To enhance its work in Latin America and the Caribbean, to counter the Xi Jinping regime's advances there. To do this, they divided the action plan into three categories: first, Democracy stands firm there; Second, Democracy has broken down there; and the third, Democracy is insecure there.

About the first group, the study reports Assess the vulnerabilities In these countries that could fall into China's hands, Expand democratic alliances and investment Strengthening and modernizing their legislaturesFocuses on disinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks, databases and long-range tools for the entire community.

In the latter case, it is proposed to work on its development Early warning indicators, it works to detect and reverse democratic backlash while it is underway. Likewise, it suggests Support between countries in the region, empowering voices that denounce these efforts. A successful example of this Guatemala Recent electoral change and initiatives of the ruling party Alejandro Giamattei Avoid investment BERNARDO AREVALO DE LEON.

Finally, in countries where democracy has already been compromised, the document proposes Integrating the private sector In efforts, in an effort to strengthen relationships with organizations and to know what they need to do to face this situation. Likewise, one should not forget Citizen Security –The presence of “irregular Chinese policing” is often threatened by projects promoted by U.S. law enforcement agencies that oppose China's global security initiative.