The Role of International Cooperation in the Implementation of SDG 3 in Latin America: The Case of the EU and China

The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and incorporated these goals into their development plans. The coronavirus pandemic worsened the socioeconomic situation in the region, negatively impacting the achievement of the SDGs, particularly SDG-3 (good health and well-being). The weak pace of the post-COVID recovery raised the issue of developing a regional strategy to ensure selfsu ciency in healthcare and pharmaceutical production, expanding interregional cooperation, joint scienti c research, and the use of digital technologies. Latin America has adopted the Regional Health Self-Su ciency Plan and the Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas 2018-2030, which emphasizes the signi cance of interregional cooperation, along with the need to increase investment in healthcare infrastructure. The purpose of the article is to compare the approaches of the European Union (EU) and China in promoting the development of the healthcare system in LAC. In 2021, the EU adopted the Global Gateway strategy, thereby declaring its expanding strategic and economic interest in the region. China continued developing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), complementing it with the Health Silk Road (HSR) and the Digital Silk Road (DSR). The authors rely on the theory of power transition, the principles of historicism and scienti c objectivity, and a problem-chronological approach as their methodology. They conclude that China’s assistance to the region’s development is long-term and comprehensive, within the framework of implementing the concept of a “shared future for humanity,” while the EU is seeking to transform the emerging con guration of relations between China and the LAC region by expanding its position in renewable energy and healthcare projects. In turn, the EU is beginning to view China as a systemic threat. China’s in uence in the region is now comparable to that of the United States, and there is ongoing rivalry between the EU and the United States for control of the region. Against the backdrop of increasing defense spending by European states, this will also facilitate closer cooperation between LAC countries and China.