América Latina, Brazil China, One Belt One Road

China’s Growing Footprint in Latin America

ChinaFile Conversation China-LatAm relations

In a ChinaFile Conversation, three Latin American scholars expressed their views on recent changes in government in the region and what they might mean for the future.

Many Latin American countries experienced political change in 2018, with presidential elections in three of the largest countries—Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia—and transitions in Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, and Paraguay. Meanwhile, several long-term China partners, such as Peru, Argentina, and especially Venezuela, have been entangled in political scandals. How are relations evolving between China and Latin America, and between China and individual countries in the region? And how do China’s interests and relations in the region differ from those of the United States?

Natalia Cote-Muñoz (China and Latin America Young Scholar for the Inter-American Dialogue) affirms that “China, which is eager to invest in [the electricity] sector, would benefit from privatization, but Brazil may impose limits on Chinese bids.

Oliver Stuenkel (Professor na Fundação Getúlio Vargas) said that “the majority of Latin American countries are not yet officially part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), but it is largely a matter of when, rather than whether, the entire region will be integrated into China’s ‘Marshall Plan of the 21st century.'”

GloboNews reporter Luiza Duarte holds that “Brazil will be less active on the international stage, particularly regarding climate change, and other countries in Latin American will have space to take over regional leadership.”

Read the full article here on ChinaFile.

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