China is losing ports, power and presence in Latin America

The new Monroe Doctrine is in full force. And for the first time in decades, Chinese influence in Latin America is receding.

A planned “Chile-China Express” submarine cable has been suspended. Colombia has announced tariffs on Chinese steel. Mexico is reviewing Beijing’s economic security. Peru has slammed the door on a Chinese military hospital ship. Honduras could soon even reactivate its relationship with Taiwan.

In an infamous 2013 speech at the Organization of American States, then-Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the Monroe Doctrine was dead. In other words, the U.S. was renouncing its hegemonic leadership and leaving the door open to China, Russia and Iran in the Western Hemisphere. It was a Christmas gift delivered in November.

By 2025, things had changed. President Trump not only revived the doctrine but also added his own corollary, to reassert U.S. leadership and curb the malign influence of extra-continental powers — specifically, Communist China.

Earlier this month, President Trump organized the “Shield of the Americas Summit” in Florida. The strategy seeks to work with like-minded partner countries to halt foreign interference — again, meaning Chinese influence — in the hemisphere, to combat narco-terrorist gangs and cartels and to address illegal migration.

This week, in a display of power and partnership, the U.S. announced the “Southern Seas 2026” deployment. This exercise will send the USS Nimitz, along with Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley, across Latin America. Argentina, Brazil,........

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