China and Latin America may be on opposites sides of the globe but they’re getting closer through commercial trade and investments.

The Belt and Road Initiative has been rapidly expanding in the region. And countries like Brazil and Argentina, which haven’t formally joined BRI, are also seeing benefits. By 2025, Chinese companies are expected to have invested $250 billion dollars in Latin America.

CGTN’s Franc Contreras reports from Mexico City.

Follow Franc Contreras on Twitter @FrancMex

To discuss all of this:

• Claudia Trevisan is a non-resident Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute at John Hopkins University.
• Pepe Zhang is the associate director for China at the Atlantic Council’s Center for Latin America.
• June Teufel Dreyer is a professor of political science at the University of Miami.
• Einar Tangen is a political and economic affairs commentator.

For more:

By the end of March 2019, the Chinese government had signed 173 cooperation agreements with 125 countries and 29 international organizations. The Belt and Road has expanded from Asia and Europe to include more new participants in Africa, Latin America and the South Pacific. pic.twitter.com/DqYzm2Xp11

— Belt and Road & Beyond (@BeltandRoadDesk) May 11, 2019

There's obviously some risk associated with the BRI, as we've seen in some African and Asian examples, but China's responsiveness and demonstrated willingness and interest in deepened engagement with Latin America is difficult to pass up, says Federico Cuadra del Carmen #ACChina

— Latin America Center (@ACLatAm) October 9, 2019

.@MattFerchen: At a time of growing U.S.-China strategic rivalry, the expansion of #BRI-themed dealmaking in Latin America and the Caribbean is already playing into growing great power competition and tension. https://t.co/lhPWssDtso

— Carnegie China (@CarnegieChina) January 23, 2019