President Donald Trump is hosting a major gathering of Latin American leaders this weekend in an effort to counter China’s growing influence across the Western Hemisphere.

The meeting, called the “Shield of the Americas” summit, will take place at Trump’s resort near Miami. The administration hopes the gathering will strengthen ties between the United States and friendly governments in the region while limiting China’s ability to dominate Latin American economies and infrastructure.

The summit is part of Trump’s broader strategy to restore what the White House describes as American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere. Officials say the effort is aimed at preventing Beijing from expanding its economic and strategic foothold near the United States.

Supporters of the strategy say the push is necessary. They warn that China’s growing presence in Latin America could help tip the global balance of power toward Beijing.

Who Is Attending the Summit

Nearly a dozen countries are expected to send leaders to the event.

Invited nations include Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Mexico and Brazil, the region’s two largest economies, were not invited because they are currently led by left leaning governments.

The White House described the gathering as a “historic meeting reinforcing the Donroe Doctrine,” a strategy intended to strengthen U.S. leadership throughout the Western Hemisphere by building a coalition of like minded governments.

The goal is to encourage these countries to work more closely with Washington rather than deepening economic ties with Beijing.

The Strategic Goal: Blocking China’s Expansion

The summit comes after a series of aggressive moves by the Trump administration aimed at reducing China’s influence in Latin America.

The United States has imposed travel bans on Chilean officials over plans to build a submarine fiber optic cable with China. It has warned Peru about allowing Chinese control of a major port project. Panama also seized ports near the Panama Canal that had been operated by a Hong Kong company after pressure from Washington.

The administration has also expressed concern about Chinese involvement in strategic infrastructure across the region.

In Peru, a deep water port in Chancay built by Chinese companies has raised fears in Washington that it could eventually have military uses.

In its national security strategy released in December, the White House warned about foreign powers controlling key assets in the hemisphere.

The document stated that the United States must deny “non Hemispheric competitors the ability to position forces or other threatening capabilities, or to own or control strategically vital assets, in our Hemisphere.”

What Trump Plans to Offer

Analysts say the success of the summit will depend on whether the United States offers concrete economic incentives.

Francisco Urdinez, an expert on China’s role in Latin America at Chile’s Pontifical Catholic University, said political alignment alone will not be enough.

“What they’re really hoping is that Washington backs up the political alignment with tangible economic benefits,” Urdinez explained.

Possible incentives could include trade agreements, financing for development projects, and expanded access to U.S. markets.

Trump has already used economic incentives to strengthen alliances in the region. For example, he approved a $20 billion currency swap to support Argentina’s peso and increased imports of Argentine beef to help the country’s agricultural sector.

These kinds of moves signal that the administration may be willing to put real economic offers on the table.

China’s Growing Economic Footprint

China’s rapid rise in Latin America is the main reason the United States is now pushing harder to rebuild influence in the region.

Over the past two decades Beijing has invested heavily in infrastructure, trade agreements, and government loans. China has become the top trading partner for many South American countries.

Bilateral trade between China and Latin America reached $518 billion in 2024.

Between 2014 and 2023, China provided about $153 billion in loans and grants to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. During the same period the United States provided roughly $50.7 billion, according to the research group AidData.

Experts say China’s financial power has helped it gain diplomatic leverage as well.

Since 2016 five Latin American countries have switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing in hopes of gaining stronger economic ties.

Francisco Urdinez summarized China’s advantage simply.

“China’s core advantage is its economic weight, plain and simple,” he said.

Latin America Caught Between Two Powers

Many countries in the region are trying to balance relations with both Washington and Beijing rather than choosing sides.

Gimena Sanchez of the Washington Office on Latin America noted that China is already deeply embedded in regional economies.

“For most countries, China is either their top, second or third trading partner,” she said.

Because of that reality, experts say the United States will need to offer real economic alternatives if it wants governments to shift closer to Washington.

Henrietta Levin of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said some countries would prefer deeper ties with the United States but have not always had that option.

She pointed to Ecuador, which signed a free trade agreement with China after failing to secure a similar deal with the United States.

“When Ecuador signed their free trade agreement with China a couple years ago, their leader actually made quite clear that they had wanted an FTA with the U.S. and would’ve preferred that,” Levin said. “But the U.S. didn’t want to negotiate such an agreement, and China did.”

Why Trump Sees the Summit as Critical

For the Trump administration, the meeting is not just about trade. It is also about security and strategic competition with Beijing.

China has been selling weapons and police equipment to some Latin American governments and training military and police personnel.

There are also concerns that Chinese built infrastructure projects could eventually serve military purposes.

Representative John Moolenaar of Michigan, who chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, said Trump’s focus on the region is necessary.

“President Trump is right to focus on defending the Western Hemisphere from China,” Moolenaar said. “President Trump has made it clear we stand with our friends in the region against China’s efforts to undermine America’s interests.”

The Stakes for the Region

Analysts say the summit could shape the future balance of power in the Americas.

If Trump can persuade governments to deepen economic cooperation with the United States, it could slow China’s expansion across the region.

But experts also warn that the effort will succeed only if Washington provides clear economic benefits.

As Urdinez cautioned, without filling the economic gap left by China’s investments, the strategy may fall short.

“Until Washington is willing to fill the economic space it’s asking countries to vacate, the rollback strategy will remain more aspiration than reality.”