China promises Latin America 'trustworthy' ties as Trump lays out demands

19/2/2025 11:55

China will always be Latin America's "trustworthy" friend and partner, its foreign minister told his Bolivian counterpart, as Beijing and Washington look to firm their respective footholds in a region historically under the U.S. sphere of influence.



"Latin America is the home of the Latin American people, and is not any country's 'backyard,'" Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a meeting at the United Nations on Tuesday, according to a statement from his ministry.



Wang told Bolivia's Foreign minister Celinda Sosa, China wants to "continuously elevate the China-Bolivia strategic partnership."



Bolivia, which established diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1985, is among many countries in South America that have bonded economically with China through debt and investment.



The resource-rich country owes China, the world's biggest bilateral lender, over $1.7 billion according to World Bank data. Chinese firms have invested a further $6 billion, statistics from the American Enterprise Institute think tank show, mostly in Bolivia's metals, energy and transport sectors.