The completion of the 3,800 km. Capricorn bioceanic corridor, connecting the Brazilian port of Santos with the Chilean ports of Antofagasta and Tarapaca, and traversing Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile, has sparked tremendous enthusiasm throughout the region. Leaders of all those nations, including some who are tethered to the Trump administration, as well as regional organizations representing businesses, provincial and local governments and financial entities, are engaged in lively conversation about the benefits of the corridor to their nations, how it will facilitate regional integration and expand national and international trade at a much lower cost—especially to China and the rest of Asia.

Formally launched in 2022, discussions about building it actually date back to 1960-70. It was completed in June of this year when the beautiful Bioceanic Bridge between Brazil and Paraguay over the Paraguay River was finished. Consisting of highways, bridges, border crossings, etc. Capricorn doesn’t represent the level of sophistication of the proposed Chinese-Brazilian high-speed rail corridor between Brazil’s port of Santos and Peru’s Chancay megaport. But there is a great sense of accomplishment and excitement that Capricorn is completed and offers new opportunities for the entire South American region.

Not excited was the U.S. Southern Command, whose Dialogo Americas publication warned in a fit of anti-China rage in its Sept. 4 edition that the corridor could “reinforce trade patterns that channel South American raw materials to China while regional demand for manufactures and technology of Chinese origin increases.” The publication also gnashed teeth over the Chancay port, in which China’s COSCO construction company was a major partner, as another example of the Chinese “threat” to the region.