China's engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has been seen as a threat to the US strategic position globally with recommendations of employing military, technological and economic might to force its neighbours into severing ties with Beijing. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio himself recently travelled to several regional states to counter China's influence and prevent them from building critical infrastructure in cohorts with Beijing.

But with China and LAC leaders at a forum in Beijing agreeing to bolster ties and support a "fair, transparent and rules-based multilateral trade system", in a densely veiled swipe at America, the gathering sent a strong message about its reluctance to rupture relations with China.

In defiance of US President Donald Trump's trade war and crackdown on migration, the bloc has been promoting reconciliation to deliver a collective response. In last month's CELAC summit, regional leaders sought alliance to "reinvent itself" to face up to Washington's renewed "imperialist domination" efforts, protect against unilateral actions and develop initiatives in trade, science and technology.

For a region that has been immersed in a low growth trap and where connectivity is crucial for a resilient economic future, the forum provided an opportunity to LAC to showcase its concerns on America's protectionist policies and pursue its ambition of projecting itself a........

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