The United States has a growing image problem in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Two recent public opinion polls – from Chile-based Latinobarómetro and from the AmericasBarometer 2026 survey by Vanderbilt University’s Latin American Public Opinion Project Lab (LAPOP Lab) – found that most regional respondents view China’s influence more positively than that of the United States. This isn’t that surprising: China has long set its sights on the region and invested considerable diplomatic, economic, and technological resources.
While polls and surveys certainly aren’t foolproof and reflect a snapshot in time, U.S. policymakers should fully consider and leverage the United States’ formidable engagement tools – from economic to political – to strengthen these relationships in our own backyard.
To regain lost ground, the United States must retain its presence in the region and actively lead with our overwhelming competitive advantages. Chief among these are our democratic values of transparency, accountability, mutual prosperity, and responsive governance. A demonstrated commitment to these treasured beliefs should distinguish the United States as a respected partner from the dependency, control, coercion, and opacity that often accompany engagement and deals with Beijing.
The United States gains geographic security and economic prosperity when we remain the partner of choice, and these views can translate into real outcomes for the American people: Citizens in Latin America and the Caribbean make choices every day about who to do business with and where they study or vacation, while governments select military partners and security relationships.
But favorable opinions of the United States declined in every country, except Venezuela, where Latinobarómetro conducted its survey in May and June. About 65% of respondents described China’s influence as positive, while only 57% said the same for the United States. It was the first time in the organization’s 31-year history conducting annual polls that survey respondents rated China’s engagement in the region more positively than that of the United States. The survey included more than 20,000 citizens in 17 countries.
Similarly, the AmericasBarometer 2026 survey found that 51% of respondents across 18 countries expressed trust in China’s government. Only 40% said they trust the U.S. government. AmericasBarometer data also revealed that citizens in most regional countries expressed greater trust in China’s leadership than the U.S. government.
One way for the United States to stand apart from China is as a value-adding economic ally. Economic growth is a fundamental priority for political leaders and citizens alike throughout the Western Hemisphere.
The United States should continue to bring into the region constructive capital that is well-governed, transparent in terms, responsive to market conditions, and accountable to stakeholders.
China has positioned itself as an active partner to many Latin American and Caribbean countries looking to diversify international economic relationships in a constantly shifting global marketplace. China has significantly deepened its economic ties across the region over the past two decades to emerge as the largest trading partner for several countries in South America and a major trading partner for Central America.
While Beijing’s investments and engagement in Latin American and Caribbean economies have not always delivered, and secrecy around agreements has triggered pushback, China’s leaders continue adapting their economic statecraft that deepen their ties in the region. For example, Beijing has increasingly directed and incentivized Chinese companies to enter agreements with subnational government entities such as provincial or city governments, utility providers, and police departments. These agreements can then be leveraged as footholds that enable Chinese state-linked firms to enter into more consequential contracts and accumulate diplomatic influence that ladders back up to the national level.
The United States should stand firm where China has stumbled.
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is one clear avenue. The agency should bring its coordinating capacity and equity backing to bear in Latin America and the Caribbean across all seven economic domains it can support: critical minerals, healthcare, energy, agriculture and food security, infrastructure and logistics, financial services and technology and telecommunications.
U.S. economic engagement should add value and catalyze innovations that help regional industries and economies grow and at the same time establish secure supply chains among democratic partners friendly to the United States, thereby benefitting both the American people and our partners. U.S. investments should also respect and uphold local labor laws and standards, in contrast with China-backed projects that sometimes include secretive clauses requiring employment of Chinese labor. Regional governments have also experienced pressure to limit investigations into labor rights violations where Chinese firms are involved.
As the United States ramps up security cooperation with hemispheric partners to counter transnational crime, we should maintain engagement that bolsters the rule of law, prioritizes human rights protections, and enhances the investigative and prosecutorial capacity of local law enforcement agencies. U.S. military partnerships that include training, humanitarian and disaster response, and technical assistance have also established the United States as a trusted partner and should continue.
In contrast, Beijing’s assistance has emphasized boosting domestic security over military-to-military relationships and the export of its surveillance technologies, without regard for local accountability norms. China’s donations and sales of security equipment have enabled autocratic leaders in countries such as Nicaragua and Venezuela to brutally repress citizens.
Free and fair democratic elections remain highly valued by populations across the region, particularly in countries that have endured major political instability such as Haiti and Peru. And despite concerns about insecurity, most citizens in 12 of the 17 countries surveyed by AmericasBarometer prefer a political system that guarantees fair elections over low crime.
A clear opportunity to advance democratic elections exists in Venezuela, where 62% of citizens would like to see major changes to the country’s political system, according to an International Republican Institute poll conducted in June and July. The United States should work with Venezuelan leadership and civil society to advance necessary institutional reforms and establish a timeline for holding free and fair elections.
This stands in contrast with China, which provided more than $105 billion in financing to the Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro regimes in Venezuela and enabled corruption and repression.
The United States and the Latin America and Caribbean region have a strong foundation of common democratic values and aspirations, economic exchange, people-to-people ties, and the geographic proximity upon which to build a respectful and thriving partnership. Leaning into these competitive advantages is what will enable the United States to position itself several steps ahead of other foreign actors that seek greater influence in the hemisphere.
