The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has once again come into the spotlight with the emergence of the “New World Order,” which seeks to control territories, resources and energy sources while bypassing the so-called rule-based world order primarily through the UN, Security Council, WTO, World Bank and IMF.
Simultaneously, the BRI has emerged as a defining pillar of China’s global shared prosperity and one of Xi Jinping’s four global initiatives, transforming countries, communities and enterprises around the world. It enjoys staunch support from the Global South and has become the largest source of FDI, socio-economic integration and trans-regional connectivity across South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. However, the West’s hegemonic pressures threaten to compromise the BRI’s pace, scope and utility during 2026 and beyond.
The BRI has not only facilitated physical connectivity through roads, railways and ports but also cultivated a new political and diplomatic architecture where mutual respect and shared prosperity define engagement. Developing nations have thus repositioned themselves as equal partners in global politics, forging stronger alliances and asserting influence in multilateral platforms. Significantly, China’s approach emphasizes respect for national sovereignty and domestic political structures. Nations long subjected to Western financial paternalism have found a partner in China willing to engage without imposing ideological conformity.
Comparative studies reveal that the BRI’s socio-economic and political dividends in Latin America are equally profound. Venezuela, facing sanctions and political isolation from Western powers, has found China a reliable economic and political partner. Chinese investments in Venezuela’s oil industry, financial aid and infrastructure development have helped maintain political stability despite external pressures. Unfortunately, Venezuela has become a target of “Trumpnomics,” ruthlessly protecting US national interests while violating international law, diplomacy, dialogue and development norms. Brazil has also deepened diplomatic engagement with China, coordinating on climate change, trade policy and other global issues.
The new rules of engagement, consent, concessions and contacts have thus been rewritten under the dominance of Western imperialist powers. The recent arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro under the rebirth of the Donroe Doctrine undermines law-based international systems. Prominent security experts suggest that Trump’s actions—bombing Venezuela and abducting Maduro—are part of a broader US imperialist plan to impose hegemony in Latin America, control the region’s natural resources (oil, gas, critical minerals, rare earths) and establish a supply chain that excludes China. This assault forms part of a wider US strategy in Latin America, invoking the 202-year-old Monroe Doctrine, updated as the “Donroe Doctrine,” to exploit Venezuela’s resources and cut the region’s ties with China, Russia and Iran.
The Donroe Doctrine also serves as a warning to other left-wing governments in Latin America, including Cuba, Nicaragua, Brazil and Colombia, signaling US strategic preferences. A US takeover of Venezuela could dismantle regional integration efforts in organizations like ALBA and CELAC, threatening the unity of the Global South during 2026 and beyond. The Trump administration’s 2025 National Security Strategy explicitly outlines the US goal of imposing hegemony across the Western Hemisphere, clearly invoking the Monroe Doctrine as justification.
Meanwhile, the BRI has increasingly focused on Latin America, reshaping the region’s geo-economic landscape. Since its formal inclusion in 2017, Latin America has become a critical frontier, reflecting China’s recognition of the region’s strategic importance and development potential. Over the past eight years, the BRI has launched around 200 projects across Latin American nations, addressing infrastructure and connectivity gaps through investments in highways, public transport, energy transmission and specialized projects such as Argentina’s deep space tracking station.
This direct Chinese investment provides a significant alternative to traditional lenders like the IMF or World Bank, opening new avenues for development financing. Beyond physical infrastructure, the BRI has fostered partnerships in science and technology, integrating Latin American countries into high-tech global networks. Currently, 21 Latin American countries have engaged with the BRI through MOUs, including key economies such as Chile, Argentina, Peru and Venezuela, with Colombia expressing interest in joining.
Despite these achievements, the writer expresses serious concerns about the BRI’s effectiveness, productivity and progress in Latin America following Venezuela’s corporate-style collapse. This represents a paradigm shift affecting the socio-economic, geopolitical and geostrategic landscapes of countries including Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Peru. Chinese policymakers must revisit their BRI strategies in Latin America, as the fall of Venezuela signals a new international order curtailing China’s BRI, global supply chains, the expansion of the Global South and Xi’s global initiatives during 2026 and beyond.
The reprioritization of trans-regional connectivity, economic ties, industrial and political cooperation faces serious threats. Economic globalization, constructive international cooperation, openness, digitalization and qualitative development will encounter significant obstacles. Latin America thus emerges as a dual-edged sword: a source of vital investment and technological collaboration, yet a catalyst for re-evaluating alliances and navigating complex global power shifts. Chinese policymakers must, therefore, reassess their socio-economic, geopolitical and geostrategic priorities in the region.
In conclusion, the rebirth of the Donroe Doctrine and the “America Again First” policy under Trump will have serious spillover effects on China, the Global South and the BRI. The US Administration’s corporate memo reflects an anti-international law, anti-equitable world order and anti-sovereignty stance, directly impacting the BRI. The pursuit of energy resources—oil, gas and rare earth metals—will be set back, affecting BRI projects and regional economic integration. Careful strategic recalibration is essential for China to safeguard its investments, partnerships and influence across Latin America in this evolving global order.
(mehmoodulhassankhan7@gmail.
