Star Metro - China a better influence in Latin America than US: poll

The 2026 Latinobarometro survey showed that China overtaking the United States in terms of influence for the first time since the annual survey began in 1995.

It showed 57 percent of people in Latin America considering the United States to be a positive influence, down from 60 percent in 2020.

China, meanwhile, was considered a positive influence by 65 percent of respondents, a jump from 48 percent six years ago.

Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic were the only countries in the region where US influence was deemed more positive than that of China.

The report partly attributed the shift to Washington's "almost complete absence" from the region in the two decades after the 2003 Iraq War.

During that time, Latin America "drew closer to other powers, to China, to the European Union, to Japan," Marta Lagos, director of Latinobarometer, told AFP.

Lagos said China had won over Latin American populations by allowing them to access cheaper imports.

"The void that China fills is the void in people's pockets, more than anything else," she said.

The growing disaffection towards the United States comes nearly halfway through Trump's second term, during which he has openly asserted his desire for hegemony over Latin America, as part of what he calls the "Donroe Doctrine."

-- US popularity drops --

As a country, the United States remains more popular than China, with 63 percent saying they had a favorable view of the world's top economy, compared to 58 percent for its arch-rival.

But America's popularity was markedly down compared to 2024, when Democratic president Joe Biden was in the White House and 73 percent had a favorable view of the United States.

The "Donroe Doctrine" blends Trump's first name with that of James Monroe, the fifth US president, who more than two centuries ago declared Latin America the United States' exclusive sphere of influence.

Trump's push to restore US dominance in what Washington calls "our hemisphere" was in evidence in January when the United States overthrew Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

The Latinobarometro poll showed a majority of people in all but one country -- Argentina -- approving of Maduro's capture by US special forces.

But only 35 percent considered it benefited Venezuela, compared to 28 percent who said it harmed the Caribbean country.

Citizens of Venezuela itself were, however, among those who viewed US influence most positively.

Chile-based Latinobarometro is a non-profit organization that surveys opinions on a range of issues, from democracy to the economy, security and migration.

The 2026 survey was based on some 19,200 face-to-face interviews carried out in 17 countries between May 7 and June 17, with a margin of error of 1 percent.

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P.Graham--SMC