Does China’s Rise influence anti-Americanism? Evidence from Colombia

Abstract

China greatly expanded its presence in Latin America over the last several decades, with most researchers examining China’s economic and political efforts. Many U.S.-based researchers, pundits, and policymakers saw China as a potential rival and threat to U. S. hegemony. However, few researchers have examined how average Latin Americans viewed these changes. Building on theories of anti-Americanism, we examine whether views of China are associated with anti-Americanism in Colombia. Drawing on an original survey of Colombians, we find that China’s economic model, respondent ideology, and views of Chinese trade and business are weakly associated with anti-Americanism. Other factors have no association. Our findings provide an important early look into the effectiveness of China’s soft power in the region and contribute to the field’s understanding of anti-Americanism in the region.