A high-level commission co-chaired by former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet and former Colombian president Ivan Duque has urged Latin American countries to resist pressure to choose sides between the United States and China. The commission emphasized leveraging the region's vast reserves of lithium, copper, and other strategic minerals to strengthen negotiating power.

The report, released on Tuesday, August 4th, 2026, by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), acknowledges that Latin America's maneuvering space is limited in areas such as security, technology, and critical infrastructure, where the United States maintains dominance and seeks to limit China's influence.

The commission advocates for countries to engage with different partners on various issues—maintaining security ties with Washington while diversifying trade and investment relationships with China and other economies. Presenting the report in Santiago, Duque stated that Latin America needs “a geopolitical vision of our own, not dictated to us,” cautioning against becoming trapped in fixed alignments or automatically siding with rival powers.

He added that governments should retain flexibility to align with partners based on strategic priorities, shared principles, and trade and investment opportunities. Bachelet noted that intensifying competition among global powers has increased the value of Latin America's resources, giving the region greater leverage.

“The world has changed, and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have many things that the world needs,” Bachelet said.

Sources

South China Morning Post World, "Bachelet-led panel urges Latin America not to choose sides in US-China rivalry," August 4, 2026, by Teresa Elena Frontado. Read more