U.S. senators introduce bipartisan resolution on China risks in Latin America

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Senate resolution on China risks

Highlights

U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Ted Budd introduced a bipartisan resolution urging a coordinated U.S. strategy to counter China's rising influence in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The resolution calls for sustained U.S. investment in energy, port infrastructure, and mining to provide alternatives to China's 'predatory financing' while urging regional adoption of CFIUS-style investment screening.
Lawmakers emphasize expanded U.S. engagement with regional security and media stakeholders to counteract China's use of economic leverage, technology transfers, and surveillance infrastructure threatening democratic stability.

Resolution targets strategic competition

As reported by Senate Committee on Finance Minority Press, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Ted Budd introduced a bipartisan resolution expressing concern about the People's Republic of China's growing influence across Latin America and the Caribbean.

The measure says the United States remains well positioned to be the closest and strongest partner for countries in the region, while urging a coordinated strategy to counter Beijing's footprint in trade, infrastructure, military cooperation and information operations. It also calls on the Trump administration to develop and implement a comprehensive approach spanning economic, security and diplomatic policy.

The resolution emphasizes continued U.S. investment in sectors including energy, port infrastructure and mining, arguing that greater American involvement can provide alternatives to what it describes as predatory financing from China. It also encourages countries in the region to adopt investment screening mechanisms similar to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to protect strategic sectors.

Regional engagement and security focus

Lawmakers say the proposal also supports deeper engagement with regional security, political and media stakeholders through expanded training and exchange programs. The text highlights China's use of economic leverage, technology transfers and surveillance infrastructure, saying those tools can undermine democratic institutions and regional security.

Shaheen says the United States cannot afford to cede ground in its own hemisphere and must act as a reliable partner through sustained investment, stronger diplomacy and deeper security cooperation. Budd says the PRC's efforts to expand its global reach are increasingly threatening U.S. national security and points to China's Belt and Road Initiative as part of that challenge.

The resolution fits into Shaheen's broader Senate work on countering China's global influence and strengthening U.S. partnerships abroad. Her office says those efforts are aimed at improving U.S. economic competitiveness, reinforcing democratic institutions and maintaining Washington's role as a dependable partner to allies and regional governments.

Our earlier coverage of the U.S. Treasury’s economic security agenda explained how Washington is treating export capacity and supply-chain resilience as core national-security priorities alongside military strength. The piece highlighted EXIM’s Project Vault to support critical-minerals procurement, as well as ongoing vulnerabilities in semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and AI manufacturing that the U.S. aims to reduce by expanding domestic capacity and securing strategic supply chains.

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