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SCMP

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering Latin American relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. Chile’s Kast courts China day after US hits exports with forced labour tariff

Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast received China’s ambassador to Santiago, Niu Qingbao, at the La Moneda Palace, in an encounter that lasted more than an hour and marked the first meeting between the two men since the right-wing leader took office in March 2026.
Read the full story here.
2. Brazil is now the world’s biggest buyer of Chinese cars: China customs

Brazil overtook Russia and Belgium in the first five months of 2026 to become the world’s largest importer of Chinese cars, buying US$5.2 billion worth of vehicles as brands raced to land shipments before a tariff increase took effect.
Read the full story here.
3. US claims 3 China-linked spy sites in Cuba monitoring American military activity

The United States accused China of operating three intelligence-gathering facilities in Cuba and sharply expanding its personnel on the island, portraying Havana as a strategic platform for Beijing to monitor American military activity.
Read the full story here.
4. China vows to defend Brazil’s sovereignty as Trump’s 25% tariff bites

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Brazil that Beijing would continue to support its sovereignty, security, and development interests, hours after a 25 per cent US tariff on Brazilian goods took effect.
Read the full story here.
5. A year into Trump’s tariffs, Brazil trades less with US and more with China

The US share of Brazilian exports fell to its lowest level since 1997 in the first half of 2026, while China widened its lead as the country’s top trading partner, according to the American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil, whose report landed as Washington held public hearings on a proposed new round of tariffs against Brazilian goods.
Read the full story here.
6. Chile wants US$100 billion to break China’s grip on its copper

Chile wants to widen the group of countries buying its copper and attract about US$100 billion in mining investment over the next decade, its foreign minister said, in the most explicit move yet by the new government in Santiago to reduce its exposure to Chinese demand.
Read the full story here.
7. Brazil widens lead over US in China’s soybean market despite Trump-Xi deal

Statistics released in July revealed that China imported 12.08 million tonnes of Brazilian soybeans in June 2026, up 13.7 per cent from a year earlier, while volumes from the United States fell 20.6 per cent to 1.27 million tonnes, far off the pace implied by the purchasing deal agreed by Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
Read the full story here.


US trade chief pressed Brazil to review Anglo American nickel sale to China

Beijing threatens ‘serious consequences’ after Panama lawmakers support Taiwan

J.D. Vance group courted Brazil’s Flavio Bolsonaro over anti-China rare earth deal: report

China rebuts top US diplomat Marco Rubio over ‘Communist Party-backed projects’ in Peru

China-Latin America relations

Cuban spy-base allegations, new Trump tariffs: 7 Latin America relations reads

The Havana Capitol is seen reflected in a puddle on July 11. Photo: AFP

Photo: Handout

Photo: Reuters

Photo: Xinhua

Photo: AP

Photo: Getty Images

Photo: AFP

Apple leak in India, China eyes Indonesia for mineral access: 5 weekend reads you missed

Customers purchase the newly launched iPhone 17 at Apple Hebbal, in Bengaluru on September 19, 2025. Photo: AFP

Illustration: Henry Wong

A nickel mining site in Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Photo: AFP

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

“The Belief” has not made it to the big screen in mainland China, despite film posters advertising a July 25 release date. Photo: Baidu

BYD’s challenge to Porsche; why Chinese cars are struggling locally: 7 EV reads

The fleet of BYD Denza Z9GT cars travelling from Rome to Hong Kong in Istanbul on June 23. Photo: Handout

BYD is taking aim at the Porsche 911 Turbo S, presented here during a media preview ahead of the IAA Munich auto show in Germany on September 7, 2025. Photo: Reuters


Illustration: Davies Christian

Cars produced by Chinese carmakers BYD and MG at the Lianyungang port in China’s eastern Jiangsu province on July 1. Photo: AFP

China’s role in Ivory Coast, Maggie Cheung’s career evolution: 5 weekend reads you missed

An aerial view of the Cocody Bridge in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Picture: Xinhua


Sun Fanglin was being treated for an undisclosed illness. Photo: Baidu

A Jurassic-era fossil found in China has changed the long-held belief that birds shed the long, bony tails of their dinosaur ancestors through a sudden evolutionary transition. Photo: sciencenet.cn

Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung poses for a picture in 1991. Cheung was prolific between 1984 and 2010, appearing in dozens of films as a pretty “vase” character and later proving her range in more demanding roles. Photo: SCMP/TVB Weekly

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From global soybean market updates to China’s best trade partners, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in July 2026


From global soybean market updates to China’s best trade partners, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in July 2026.


Cuban spy-base allegations, new Trump tariffs: 7 Latin America relations reads

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From global soybean market updates to China’s best trade partners, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in July 2026

1. Chile’s Kast courts China day after US hits exports with forced labour tariff

2. Brazil is now the world’s biggest buyer of Chinese cars: China customs

From global soybean market updates to China’s best trade partners, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in July 2026