Lessons from Paraguay and Guyana’s brushes with Chinese vaccine diplomacy Click to read this article in English Photo Credit: Norberto Duarte, AFP Only four months into 2021, China is the leading exporter of COVID-19 vaccines, largely sending doses to the same developing countries prioritized by the COVAX program. Due to this dominant role in vaccine distribution, the ambition and capability of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to affect the political affairs of nations across Latin America and the Caribbean has only grown. Recent events in Guyana and Paraguay show that COVID-19 vaccines have influenced governments, either directly or indirectly, toward Beijing’s political preferences. For Latin American and Caribbean countries looking to resist Chinese political pressure, it will be essential for nations across the hemisphere—especially the United States—to act quickly and cooperate in ways that can limit the influence of the PRC.