Port investments by China in Latin America are reshaping the soybean market

and other strategic commodities amid renewed trade tensions with the United States. Brazil’s Port of Santos, which handles nearly a quarter of the country’s soybean exports, has become a cornerstone of China’s strategy. State-owned COFCO International has invested about $285 million to expand dry-bulk capacity, strengthening its control over storage and export logistics. On the Pacific coast, COSCO Shipping is investing at least $3.5 billion in the Port of Chancay in Peru, a project expected to become one of the region’s largest ports and a key hub for redistributing soybeans, copper, and lithium across South America once fully operational. Analysts say these investments reflect long-term policy rather than short-term trade disputes. Improved port infrastructure makes trade faster, cheaper, and more reliable, effectively locking in supply routes for decades. China now has stakes in at least 23 ports across Latin America, with transportation and logistics accounting for a large ...