China's growing interest in Latin America and its implications

China's interest in Latin America has grown tremendously in the past few years. Chinese trade and investment in Latin America have soared since the late 1990s. This article examines goals, strategies, and prospects of China's quest for influence in Latin America and its implications. The author concludes that China has moved cautiously from a radical to a more pragmatic approach to achieve its goals in Latin America. Despite its disagreements with the United States about many issues, Beijing has adopted a low-key approach and managed to avoid any public confrontation with the United States in the Western Hemisphere. So far China is still a long way from posing a serious threat to the interests of the United States in the region.