Has Latin America Become China's Backyard?

"Latin America has become China’s backyard"was a new idea espoused recently by Mr.Tim Johnson,a correspondent of the United States.This concept at once became a central topic of interest for the American press,Chinese newspapers as well as the international media. Has Latin America become China’s backyard? Is there any ground for skepticism about the China-Latin America relationship? Does China have the intention or capacity to challenge the U.S.dominance in the Western Hemisphere? How should China interact with the U.S.in that region? These are the fresh issues that require removal of misunderstanding between China and the U.S.