Opinion – Latinoamérica21: The strategy of Chinese diplomacy in Latin America

In recent years, Beijing has gone to great lengths to bring its model of modernist development and total connectivity to the world, both through hard-hitting facts and ideational rhetoric. The United States and other western countries feel threatened by the facts and also by related ideas, while in the Global South there is a greater reception. Chinese government spokesmen have raised their voices and occasionally managed to offend (a custom formerly the privilege of western empires), but these diplomats with the new nickname of “warrior wolves” are not the same in Latin America, for example. I propose to explore who are the messengers and why is the same message perceived so differently?

For decades, Washington had the most extensive diplomatic network in the world. This situation facilitated his inclusion in local debates and kept his message on covers around the world. However, during the administration of President Trump, the scope of his permanent missions has diminished, along with the winning spirit of his representatives and their ability to influence, and has not recovered under President Biden.

The dynamics of influencing global affairs have changed: according to a recent study, the People’s Republic of China now leads numerically, with 276 diplomatic posts in the world. Furthermore, the number of staff in each embassy has increased, the average age of managers has decreased, and professional training and internal knowledge transfer are being improved.

This evolution is due to Beijing’s recognition of the rise of China as a leading actor, along with the growing presence of its corporations and citizens around the world, which places new demands on its diplomatic corps. The role and capabilities of Chinese diplomats as representatives, communicators and negotiators on behalf of their government are increasingly putting them to the test, in many cases in front of increasingly less benevolent foreign publics and governments. As a result, the government has sought to restructure and strengthen its foreign service in multiple ways.

Latin America is an illustrative example of this trend and its ongoing challenges. As the furthest frontier in strategy 走出去 [Going Out]arrived late to benefit from the exponential growth of trade, the rapid increase in mergers and acquisitions by Chinese companies, billion-dollar loans and a series of cultural, educational and scientific exchanges.

Official visits by top Chinese leaders to the region increased to become an almost annual event between 2008 and 2019, and high-level multilateral cooperation forums began to flourish. This multidimensional trend has been supported by a growing and increasingly versatile diplomatic corps on the ground, which has gained greater visibility in the process.

By tracing the careers and movements of Chinese diplomats in Latin America since 1990, I have been able to identify trajectories and patterns that illuminate a Beijing strategy focused on achieving national and international goals. By profiling his emissaries in the region, an image of a varied and increasingly refined diplomatic strategy emerges. It becomes evident that Chinese diplomats (despite their internal hierarchies) have embraced “network diplomacy” and sought to improve their intercultural communication.

China’s strategic development and its diplomatic corps in Latin America suggest that it has nurtured diplomats with the right character and skills. Led by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Beijing government has created a broad and varied diplomatic corps with regional experience and global acumen, ensuring that China can pursue its national and international goals and actively participate in global and local conversations.

By exploring the profiles and individual careers of Chinese diplomats in the region, it is possible to better characterize and allow for greater understanding of a much broader apparatus. Several of the envoys leading China’s diplomatic efforts in Latin America are individuals whose approach offers a counterbalance to the assertive tone of a small number of their so-called “warrior wolf diplomats”: the latter group’s assertive approach is an exception to the rule and is largely absent from China’s strategy for Latin America.

The main objective of Beijing’s envoys to the region has apparently been to create goodwill through greater visibility and accessibility, and to ensure a favorable environment in which China’s trade and investment objectives can grow.

_{This one text was originally published on the REDCAEM website}