Former OAS chief criticizes US pressure on Latin America to cut trade with China, warns of ‘economic disaster’: report

(Illustration: Liu Rui/GT)

US pressure on Latin America to cut trade with China could cause economic disaster because of Latin America's dependence on trade with China, said Luis Almagro, former secretary-general of the Organization of American States (OAS), the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

A Chinese expert said the US' coercion on Latin America speaks of Washington's hegemonic ambitions over Latin American countries, disregarding these countries' legitimate rights to develop trade ties with other nations, and naturally, the US pressure is facing widespread opposition in the region.

"China is the biggest or second-biggest trading partner of practically every Latin American country. Take that out of the equation... and you are going to have a very violent regional economic disaster," Almagro told the Financial Times ahead of his departure on May 25. OAS is the principal political forum comprising 35 nations across the Americas.

Almagro further stated that "the worst thing that can happen to Latin America is to be forced to choose" between the US and China.

Zhou Zhiwei, an expert on Latin American studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday that the US has intentionally employed coercive diplomacy to press Latin American countries to restrict their trade ties with China, in Washington's effort to resist the so-called "competing influence from China in the region."

"But it violates one of the most fundamental international norms, that is a country should respect another country's lawful right to trade with a third nation," Zhou said, commenting on Almagro's remarks that "You must have the best trade relations you can with everyone."

Zhou noted that, despite US government's mounting pressure, most Latin American countries have not yielded to US coercion in their pursuit of "more efficient international cooperation" with China, which has seen fruitful results in recent years.

And, many Latin American countries have always defended their rights to develop trade relations in the best interests of their own.

In one example, China and Colombia inked a partnership plan in mid-May on jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, marking the Latin American country's formal accession in the China-proposed global initiative.

Zhou said that the US hegemonic actions aim to inhibit China-Latin America cooperation, without yielding any benefits for the US itself.

Almagro's remarks followed the successful conclusion of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum, held in Beijing earlier this month.

China and Latin America are highly complementary economies. China is Latin America's second-largest trading partner and the top trading partner for countries including Brazil, Chile, and Peru. According to China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), bilateral trade reached a record high of $518.47 billion in 2024, surpassing China's 10-year target of $500 billion that was set a decade ago.

In 2024, China's direct investment in Latin America reached $14.71 billion, while Latin American companies had established 37,000 enterprises in China as of March 2025, according to MOFCOM.