While Washington and Brussels debate how best to counter China’s rise, Beijing has been quietly and steadily expanding its influence across two of the most dynamic and strategically vital regions of the Global South: Latin America and Africa. From trade and infrastructure to AI and digital governance, China’s engagement is reshaping the global order in ways that often escape the headlines in Western capitals.
The story of China’s growing footprint in these regions is not one of short-term opportunism, but of a long-term, patient strategy—one that blends hard and soft power with economic incentives and technological diplomacy. In a world increasingly defined by multipolar competition, Beijing’s ability to entrench itself across Latin America and Africa will carry profound consequences for global geopolitics.
In this article, we explore how China’s influence is evolving across these regions, the mechanisms behind its growing soft and hard power, and the long-term implications for the global balance of power.
The Economic Foundations of China’s Influence
China’s economic engagement with both Latin America and Africa is the cornerstone of its growing influence. Over the past decade, trade relations have deepened to the point where China is now the top trade partner for numerous countries across both continents.
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In Africa, China has overtaken the United States and the European Union as the continent’s largest trading partner, with total trade surpassing $300 billion in 2025. Major African economies—including Nigeria, Angola, South Africa, and Kenya—have seen Chinese exports and imports steadily rise, supported by generous credit lines from Beijing’s state-owned banks.
In Latin America, China is now the top trade partner for Brazil, Chile, and Peru, among others. China’s appetite for commodities, particularly soybeans, copper, iron ore, and increasingly, lithium, has positioned Latin American countries as critical suppliers to Chinese industry. In turn, China exports manufactured goods, telecom equipment, and consumer electronics across the region.
But it is infrastructure where China’s footprint is most visible. Under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese companies have financed and built ports in Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru, railways in Argentina, and power grids in Venezuela. In Africa, Chinese-backed infrastructure spans rail lines in Kenya and Ethiopia, port expansions in Djibouti and Angola, and hydropower plants across sub-Saharan Africa.
These projects often come with long-term dependence built into the model: construction contracts awarded to Chinese firms, maintenance and operation services retained by Chinese entities, and debt agreements that tie future fiscal flexibility to Beijing.
Debt diplomacy remains a contentious aspect of China’s economic strategy. Smaller economies such as Zambia and Djibouti have faced challenges servicing Chinese debt, raising concerns about Beijing’s potential leverage over sovereign decision-making. Yet many governments continue to seek Chinese financing, which often comes faster and with fewer governance strings attached than Western alternatives.
Emerging trends suggest that China’s influence is evolving alongside global shifts. Green energy is now a priority, with Chinese firms investing heavily in solar and wind projects in both Latin America and Africa. From large-scale solar farms in South Africa and Kenya to lithium supply chain deals in Argentina and Bolivia, Beijing is positioning itself at the forefront of the green transition across the Global South.
Digital and AI Engagement: Building the Future Rules
Beyond infrastructure and trade, China is now shaping the digital foundations of the Global South—a dimension of its influence that receives far less scrutiny but carries long-term strategic weight.
Across Africa, Chinese firms are exporting AI-powered surveillance technology under the banner of “smart city” solutions. Angola, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia have all adopted Chinese-built systems for facial recognition, public security monitoring, and predictive policing. In Latin America, similar deployments are underway in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Venezuela, where Chinese partners supply both hardware and software for urban surveillance.
Telecom infrastructure forms another pillar of China’s digital engagement. Huawei and ZTE remain dominant providers of 5G networks in both regions, particularly where Western suppliers have limited market share. This gives Chinese firms—and, by extension, Beijing—a structural role in the emerging digital ecosystems of many Global South nations.
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Data governance is an increasingly strategic front. China has pursued bilateral agreements with African and Latin American governments to promote “digital cooperation,” a term that often encompasses AI governance, cybersecurity collaboration, and data sharing frameworks. These agreements frequently reflect a model of state-centric data governance aligned with Beijing’s domestic norms.
In parallel, China is investing in tech training and capacity building. Thousands of African and Latin American officials, engineers, and students have participated in Chinese-sponsored programs, ranging from AI policy workshops to advanced ICT training in Shenzhen. Through these initiatives, Beijing is helping to shape the next generation of tech elites in the Global South—individuals who may carry forward Chinese-inspired approaches to digital governance and AI deployment.
Taken together, these digital engagements serve not only commercial interests but also geopolitical objectives. By embedding Chinese technology and standards into the digital infrastructure of Latin America and Africa, Beijing is laying the groundwork for long-term influence over how these regions connect, communicate, and regulate their digital futures.
Soft Power and Strategic Partnerships
China’s growing influence is not limited to economic and technological realms. Soft power and strategic partnerships play an equally important role in Beijing’s long game.
Scholarship programs and cultural diplomacy have expanded rapidly. Confucius Institutes operate across major universities in both Latin America and Africa, offering language courses and cultural programming that seek to foster favorable perceptions of China. Meanwhile, thousands of students from the Global South are studying at Chinese universities on government-funded scholarships.
Military cooperation has also deepened in select countries. China conducts joint training programs, offers military education scholarships, and supplies arms to partners in both regions. While Beijing’s military presence remains limited compared to its economic reach, these relationships are laying the groundwork for deeper defense ties.
The COVID-19 pandemic provided another avenue for influence. China’s vaccine diplomacy during the crisis generated goodwill in many nations where Western vaccine supply was delayed. This built political capital that Beijing continues to leverage through post-pandemic public health cooperation.
Perhaps most consequential is Beijing’s cultivation of political elite relationships. Across Latin America and Africa, Chinese officials engage in sustained diplomacy with leaders who are often skeptical of Western approaches. Through summits, party-to-party exchanges, and elite training programs, China is working to foster a network of political actors sympathetic to its vision of a multipolar world.
The open question is whether these partnerships will translate into long-term strategic alignment. Many Global South countries are pragmatic, seeking to balance relations with both China and the West. Yet as China’s economic, digital, and cultural footprint deepens, its influence over the strategic calculus of these nations is growing.
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