While Rubio’s anti-China rhetoric aligns with Washington’s broader geopolitical goals, the tools at his disposal are insufficient to match Beijing’s economic engagement.

A key focus of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Central America this week — his first trip as America’s top diplomat — will be to counter China’s growing influence in the region, the State Department’s top spokesperson said this week,

LSE IDEAS analyse China’s growing presence in Latin America concerning trade, diplomacy, and strategic influence

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's trip to Central America, including Panama, is partially about countering China, a State Department spokesperson told Fox Business, as new President Donald Trump is pushing to "take back" the Panama Canal.

An outdoor screen in Beijing shows a news program about Chinese President ... "To start with, he talks about putting America first. And he also fought a trade war with China. These are the two things that left the deepest impression on me," Zhang Yu ...

China's expanding footprint in Latin America is expected to be high on the agenda when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Panama next week on his first overseas trip since taking office, according to observers.

Trump’s uncharitable rhetoric and less-than-civilised treatment of illegal immigrants are, at the very least, likely to fuel more anti-American sentiment in the region. This resentment towards the US may well manifest in building bridges with governments and ideologies that are inimical to US interests.

Trump clamped 25 per cent tariffs on trade with Colombia and imposed visa and other sanctions on Sunday after leftwing President Gustavo Petro turned back US military flights deporting migrants. The confrontation ended within hours after Bogotá caved in to Washington’s demands.