Recently, China’s Belt and Road initiative – often described as a 21st century silk road – has made its entry into Latin America and the Caribbean. During the second China-CELAC ministerial forum, the two entities signed a special declaration on the belt and road, which led to four LAC countries signing Belt and Road Cooperation Agreements, including Antigua and Barbuda and Trinidad and Tobago.
Although the content of these agreements remains unclear, their proliferation among LAC countries confirms China’s desire to gradually incorporate the region into its enterprise. Since 2005, China has invested US$27 billion in infrastructure projects, including a road in Costa Rica and a port in Trinidad and Tobago.
