2016年，域外因素和地区政治生态变化极大地影响和改变着拉美地区国际格局及其演变态势。美国奥巴马政府继续通过各种外交举措，包括某些史无前例的出访和表态，最大限度地延续8年来对地区国际关系及其走向的塑造进程。美国大选过程搅乱了地区各国的发展势态，特朗普当选带来了极大的不确定性，地区各国不得不密切关注美国新政府的一举一动，以减缓美国政策变化可能导致的冲击和伤害。另一域外因素是中国地位和作用的再次彰显。中国国家主席习近平出访拉美3国并出席亚太经合组织领导人非正式会议，开启了中国对拉美外交的新阶段。在世界经济进入新常态的大背景下，拉美各国也在积极探索如何利用和应对中国因素带来的机遇与挑战。与此同时，拉美一些国家的政党轮替或政局变化也意味着外交政策取向的调整，拉美与域外大国和国际组织的关系以及区域内各国间的关系均面临着或正在经历深刻的变化。
In 2016，regional relations in Latin America were remarkably influenced by the world situation and the latest regional politics. In his final year in office，American President Obama took significant diplomatic initiatives including the historic visit to Cuba to sustain the U.S. influence over regional affairs. Due to Donald Trump’s winning in the presidential election，the U.S.-Latin American relations were challenged by considerable uncertainties，forcing LAC countries to take precautionary measures in case of any major fluctuations in the U.S. foreign policy. China’s significant role in Latin America was demonstrated by President Xi Jinping’s visit to Ecuador，Peru and Chile in November 2016，pointing toward a new phase of the Sino-Latin America relations. In the context of the “New Normal” of the world economy，regional countries were seeking to gain economic momentum by expanding trade linkages with China. It is notable that there are remarkable transformations in some countries’ foreign policy due to rotation of ruling parties.
