Cuban spy-base allegations, new Trump tariffs: 7 Latin America relations reads

Cuban spy-base allegations, new Trump tariffs: 7 Latin America relations reads From global soybean market updates to China’s best trade partners, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in July 2026 1. Chile’s Kast courts China day after US hits exports with forced labour tariff Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast received China’s ambassador to Santiago, Niu Qingbao, at the La Moneda Palace, in an encounter that lasted more than an hour and marked the first meeting between the two men since the right-wing leader took office in March 2026. 2. Brazil is now the world’s biggest buyer of Chinese cars: China customs Brazil overtook Russia and Belgium in the first five months of 2026 to become the world’s largest importer of Chinese cars, buying US$5.2 billion worth of vehicles as brands raced to land shipments before a tariff increase took effect. 3. US claims 3 China-linked spy sites in Cuba monitoring American military activity The United States accused China of operating three intelligence-gathering facilities in Cuba and sharply expanding its personnel on the island, portraying Havana as a strategic platform for Beijing to monitor American military activity.