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The survey found that 65% of respondents saw China’s influence positively, up sharply from 48% in 2020.
US President Donald Trump shows the way to Chinese President Xi Jinping on stage during a business event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (AP photo)
China’s influence in Latin America is now viewed more positively than that of the United States, marking the first time Beijing has overtaken Washington on the measure since the Latinobarometro survey began in 1995.
The 2026 survey, based on nearly 19,200 face-to-face interviews across 17 countries, found that 65% of respondents saw China’s influence positively, up sharply from 48% in 2020.
By comparison, 57% viewed US influence positively, down from 60% six years ago.
China Gains Ground Across Region
Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic were the only countries where US influence was viewed more positively than China’s, according to the survey.
Marta Lagos, director of Latinobarómetro, told AFP that the shift reflected Latin America’s closer ties with other global powers during a period when Washington had a limited presence in the region.
She said China had also gained goodwill by providing access to cheaper imports.
“The void that China fills is the void in people’s pockets, more than anything else,” Lagos said.
The findings come as US President Donald Trump pushes for greater American influence in Latin America under what he calls the “Donroe Doctrine”, a term combining his name with the Monroe Doctrine.
US Still More Popular As A Country
Despite the shift in perceptions of influence, the US remains more popular than China when people were asked about the countries themselves.
Some 63% of respondents said they had a favourable view of the US, compared with 58% for China. However, the US figure was down from 73% in 2024, when Joe Biden was president.
The survey also found broad approval across the region for the US capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, although Argentina was the exception.
At the same time, only 35% said Maduro’s capture had benefited Venezuela, while 28% believed it had harmed the country.
Poll Tracks Shifting Regional Ties
Latinobarometro, a Chile-based non-profit organisation, tracks public attitudes towards democracy, economies, security, migration and international relations across Latin America.
The latest survey was conducted between May 7 and June 17, with around 19,200 people interviewed in 17 countries. The reported margin of error is one percentage point.
The findings point to a changing perception of the two major powers’ influence in a region where economic ties with China have expanded even as Washington seeks to reinforce its role in what it calls the Western Hemisphere.
(With inputs from AFP)
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Ask News18The 2026 Latinobarometro survey revealed that 65% of respondents viewed China’s influence positively, marking the first time Beijing overtook Washington since the survey began in 1995. Meanwhile, 57% of respondents viewed US influence positively, which is a decline from 60% six years ago.
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