近年來，隨著中共與拉美國家貿易與外交關係的迅速成長，中共遍及南 美洲的驚人購買力，已使阿根廷、巴西、智利與委內瑞拉等國，因該國與中 共貿易關係而受惠。自2004 年11 月胡錦濤走訪拉美4 國後，美國也開始正 視中共在拉美地區日益增多的活動。因此，本文欲探討中共為何選在21 世 紀加大前進拉丁美洲的力度，並試圖分析其影響。筆者在觀察中共拉美政策 後，得到如下心得，第一，「孤立台灣」與「採購生產物資」是型塑當前中 共拉美政策的兩項最主要利益，第二，911 事件後美國混亂的拉美政策，使 中共得藉機深化其與拉美地區國家的政治與經濟關係。其次，即使中共趁機 深化中拉關係的作為，中共目前尚未具備挑戰美國西半球霸權地位的能力。

While China’s trade and diplomatic relations with Latin America have been surging in recent years, the effect of China’s economic juggernaut is rippling all the way to South America, and countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Venezuela have been benefited by their trade with China. Since President Hu Jintao’s visit to four Latin American countries in November 2004, Chinese activities in Latin America have caught the attention by the United States. In this article, the author attempts to find out the reasons why China pays much attention to Latin America in the first decade by this century, and to examine China’s growing influence in the region. The article argues that, first, to isolate Taiwan and to purchase natural resources from the region are the two major goals of China’s Latin American policy; and second, Washington’s chaotic Latin American policy and its strategy of malign neglect toward the region after September 11 th thus provides a golden opportunity for Beijing to expand its political and economic ties with Latin America. However, China still is not influential enough to challenge the U.S. hegemonic position in Latin America in the future.