Latin America, referred to as the backyard of the United States of America (USA); however, it is the region that is trying to get rid of this definition as a result of the developments in the last 20 years. The biggest negative aspect in terms of the region is that it is close to the USA and that there is no different actor that can balance this country. The aforementioned situation limited the mobility of Latin American states. Because USA did not hesitate to engage in political, military and economic interventions in order to maintain its influence on different reasons in various periods. However, the “left waves” that have developed in the region since 2000 serve to reverse the situation.
Today, it is possible to talk about the second wave of the left in the region. In this context, developments in Latin America are not only within the region; also has an international impact. Increasing globalization in the world, which is in the process of change and transformation, strengthens the bond between Latin America and other powers; it also prevents regional states from centering on a single actor. In this way, states that go out of the USA axis are included in new collaborations.
In this sense, Latin American states participate in various initiatives thanks to both the breaking of the influence of the USA and the advantage of globalization. One of the initiatives that stand out in this context is the Belt and Road Initiative. Although the initiative was implemented with the aim of connecting Asia and Europe, it covers many regions from Africa to Latin America thanks to its global perspective.
Today, 21 Latin American countries are included in the Belt and Road Initiative. One of the countries involved in the initiative at the last moment is Argentina. In February 2022, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese President Xi Jinping to join the Belt and Road Initiative during his Beijing visit. The situation in question enabled China to give this initiative a global character. It is a remarkable detail that this development took place after Fernandez, who had a leftist ideology, came to power.
With the elections held on October 30, 2022, the administration has also changed in Brazil. Jair Bolsonaro, known for his right-wing identity, was replaced by former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who advocated centre-left/left thinking. While Lula’s victory caused discomfort in the West, especially in the USA; it can be said that actors such as China and Russia are happy with this development. Because, according to Bolsonaro, Lula is taking much stronger steps towards establishing relations with Beijing and Moscow.
It is obvious that the most important contact between the parties will be established with Lula’s visit to Beijing on March 26-31, 2023. After taking office, Lula made his first overseas visit to Argentina to attend the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Later, Lula visited the USA in February 2023 and met with US President Joe Biden. His visit to Argentina shows that Lula primarily attaches importance to regional integration. Later on, Lula went to Washington, considering both bilateral relations and the USA as the most important power in the immediate environment. It can be said that there are various reasons for the last visit to China.
First of all, China lent more than 136 billion dollar to Latin American countries between 2005 and 2021. Secondly, thanks to the commercial relations he established with China during his first coming to power, Lula not only accelerated the recovery of the economy, strengthened his hand in domestic politics, but also reduced the economic dependence on the USA.
Although there are various discussions at this point, there is no doubt that Lula wants to strengthen relations with Beijing and attract Chinese investments to the country. On the other hand, the cold attitude of the Brazilian leader towards the USA, with the influence of the internal balances of Latin America, Lula’s political life and ideological motives, strengthens the possibility of deepening relations between Brazil and China. Particularly, Dilma Rousseff, who came from the same party as Lula, was removed from power with a controversial decision, Lula was sent to prison on various charges, Lula wanted Rousseff to be the new president of the BRICS Development Bank, aimed to strengthen trade relations between countries, Lula‘s neutral stance towards the Russia-Ukraine War and the demand for the war to be ended with negotiations are the main factors that affect the dynamics of relations and will determine its future.
In fact, despite all the difficulties, relations between Brazil and China improved during the Bolsonaro era. In the period when the 10th anniversary of the Brazil-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was celebrated, the parties announced the 2022-2026 Executive Plan and the 2022-2031 Strategic Plan, which will guide bilateral relations in the coming years. But Lula has a much broader vision and his relations with China are not only bilateral; he also wants to develop with the Latin American-Chinese dimension. This shows that Lula both wants to establish a more comprehensive network of relations with China and tries to prevent a possible reaction from the USA.
As a result, Lula’s visit is important in terms of both Brazil and China and Latin America. In this context, it can be said that Lula was aware of the regional reality and therefore first visited the USA. However, while Lula was cold towards the USA for various reasons; he is trying to balance this country through China. It is obvious that Brazil has made significant gains through the strategy followed by Lula. Considering the USA factor, although Brazil is not expected to be involved in the Belt and Road Initiative during this visit, the visit can be seen as a prelude to Brazil’s participation in the Belt and Road Initiative.