Is China the New North? Assessing the Impact of Chinese Trade with Latin America

A full video archive of this event is available via C-SPAN here.

China’s “going out” strategy, which aims to support the international expansion of Chinese firms to secure energy and natural resources, has created a significant footprint in Latin America. While the United States and European Union remain the top two trading partners with the region, China is rapidly catching up – the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean estimates that China will become the region’s second largest trading partner as early as 2015. With China concentrating its investment and trade in natural resources—including oil and gas, iron ore, coal and copper—in key Latin American countries, the impact of China’s strategic outreach can be felt both regionally and globally.

On August 17, the John L. Thornton China Center and the Latin America Initiative at Brookings, with the Council of the Americas, hosted a discussion on China’s increasing trade with and influence in Latin America and the implications for their relationships with the U.S. Based on their most recent research, Brookings experts Mauricio Cárdenas and Erica Downs analyzed the increasing role of Chinese investment in the region. Mauricio Mesquita Moreira of the Inter-American Development Bank offered his comments. Eric Farnsworth of the Council of the Americas moderated the discussion.
 
After the program, panelists took audience questions.