El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and Panama all switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing in a span of 14 months, and Washington is not pleased. 

Common sense and good judgment suggest that U.S. interests are better served with sustained engagement in the hemisphere, write Mack McLarty and Eric Farnsworth in Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Beijing's growing influence in the region means Washington must become more diligent in its engagement with the region, writes AS/COA's Eric Farnsworth for China-US Focus.

AS/COA hosted a panel about the mushrooming influence of China and Russia in the Americas. Since the turn of the century, both governments have been assembling economic and diplomatic clout machines in Latin America – quite often to the region’s detriment.

Now that the region has one foot in the Chinese initiative, the OECD’s Ángel Melguizo explains how the region can be proactive about shaping its ties with Beijing.