Author: R. Evan Ellis
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030960498
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 295
Book Description
This book explores China’s engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean as a case study of its broader effort to use commercial tools and instruments of state to create a global economic order that functions to its benefit, while neutralizing challenges from institutions, states, and others that would oppose it. Unlike the common representation of the Cold War as a political-military struggle, this work uniquely examines China’s current efforts as primarily seeking to dominate global value chains, with supporting political, technological, and military components. In this regard, it both leverages and goes beyond works based on dependency theory, which has played a key role in the academic and popular discourse in the region. The book examines evidence for China’s economically-focused strategy within Latin America and the Caribbean, including the interrelationships and coordination between China’s activities in different sectors, and between commercial, political, and other dimensions in the region. It further looks at the supporting role played by a diverse range of Chinese initiatives, from China’s Belt and Road initiative, to people-to-people diplomacy, soft power, security engagement, and the PRC struggle with Taiwan for diplomatic recognition in the region, among others. The book highlights the implications for Latin America and the Caribbean, and for the U.S. whose prosperity and security is intimately tied to the region.
China Engages Latin America
Author: R. Evan Ellis
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030960498
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 295
Book Description
This book explores China’s engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean as a case study of its broader effort to use commercial tools and instruments of state to create a global economic order that functions to its benefit, while neutralizing challenges from institutions, states, and others that would oppose it. Unlike the common representation of the Cold War as a political-military struggle, this work uniquely examines China’s current efforts as primarily seeking to dominate global value chains, with supporting political, technological, and military components. In this regard, it both leverages and goes beyond works based on dependency theory, which has played a key role in the academic and popular discourse in the region. The book examines evidence for China’s economically-focused strategy within Latin America and the Caribbean, including the interrelationships and coordination between China’s activities in different sectors, and between commercial, political, and other dimensions in the region. It further looks at the supporting role played by a diverse range of Chinese initiatives, from China’s Belt and Road initiative, to people-to-people diplomacy, soft power, security engagement, and the PRC struggle with Taiwan for diplomatic recognition in the region, among others. The book highlights the implications for Latin America and the Caribbean, and for the U.S. whose prosperity and security is intimately tied to the region.
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030960498
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 295
Book Description
This book explores China’s engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean as a case study of its broader effort to use commercial tools and instruments of state to create a global economic order that functions to its benefit, while neutralizing challenges from institutions, states, and others that would oppose it. Unlike the common representation of the Cold War as a political-military struggle, this work uniquely examines China’s current efforts as primarily seeking to dominate global value chains, with supporting political, technological, and military components. In this regard, it both leverages and goes beyond works based on dependency theory, which has played a key role in the academic and popular discourse in the region. The book examines evidence for China’s economically-focused strategy within Latin America and the Caribbean, including the interrelationships and coordination between China’s activities in different sectors, and between commercial, political, and other dimensions in the region. It further looks at the supporting role played by a diverse range of Chinese initiatives, from China’s Belt and Road initiative, to people-to-people diplomacy, soft power, security engagement, and the PRC struggle with Taiwan for diplomatic recognition in the region, among others. The book highlights the implications for Latin America and the Caribbean, and for the U.S. whose prosperity and security is intimately tied to the region.
China-Latin America Military Engagement
Author: Robert Evan Ellis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 84
Book Description
This monograph examines Chinese military engagement with Latin America in five areas (1) meetings between senior military officials, (2) lower-level military-to-military interactions, (3) military sales, (4) military-relevant commercial interactions, and (5) Chinese physical presence within Latin America with military-strategic implications. It finds that the level of PRC military engagement with the region is higher than is generally recognized, and has expanded in important ways in recent years: High-level trips by Latin American defense and security personnel to the PRC and visits by their Chinese counterparts have become commonplace. The volume and sophistication of Chinese arms sold to the region has increased. Officer exchange programs, institutional visits, and other lower-level ties have also expanded. Chinese military personnel have begun participating in operations in the region in a modest, yet symbolically important manner. The monograph also argues that, in the short term, PRC military engagement with Latin America does not focus on establishing alliances or base access to the United States, but rather, supporting objectives of national development and regime survival, such as building understanding and political leverage among important commercial partners, creating the tools to protect PRC interests in countries where it does business, and selling Chinese products and moving up the value added chain in strategically important sectors. It concludes that Chinese military engagement may both contribute to legitimate regional security needs, and foster misunderstanding. It argues that the U.S. should work for greater transparency with The PRC with regard to those activities, as well as to analyze how the Chinese presence will impact the calculation of the region¿s actors in the context of specific future scenarios.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 84
Book Description
This monograph examines Chinese military engagement with Latin America in five areas (1) meetings between senior military officials, (2) lower-level military-to-military interactions, (3) military sales, (4) military-relevant commercial interactions, and (5) Chinese physical presence within Latin America with military-strategic implications. It finds that the level of PRC military engagement with the region is higher than is generally recognized, and has expanded in important ways in recent years: High-level trips by Latin American defense and security personnel to the PRC and visits by their Chinese counterparts have become commonplace. The volume and sophistication of Chinese arms sold to the region has increased. Officer exchange programs, institutional visits, and other lower-level ties have also expanded. Chinese military personnel have begun participating in operations in the region in a modest, yet symbolically important manner. The monograph also argues that, in the short term, PRC military engagement with Latin America does not focus on establishing alliances or base access to the United States, but rather, supporting objectives of national development and regime survival, such as building understanding and political leverage among important commercial partners, creating the tools to protect PRC interests in countries where it does business, and selling Chinese products and moving up the value added chain in strategically important sectors. It concludes that Chinese military engagement may both contribute to legitimate regional security needs, and foster misunderstanding. It argues that the U.S. should work for greater transparency with The PRC with regard to those activities, as well as to analyze how the Chinese presence will impact the calculation of the region¿s actors in the context of specific future scenarios.
China Military Power
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780160939723
Category : China
Languages : en
Pages : 125
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780160939723
Category : China
Languages : en
Pages : 125
Book Description
China in Latin America
Author: Robert Evan Ellis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 348
Book Description
"Through exhaustive field research and interviews, Ellis inventories, country by country, China's rapidly expanding commercial and diplomatic presence in Latin America and the Caribbean. The irresistible allure of trade with the Chinese is a mixed blessing for the region: to transport raw materials and agricultural goods, a new East-West infrastructure is expanding Pacific coast ports from Mexico to Chile, once again leaving Latin America overly dependent on the export of low-value-added commodities. And although China's motives may be primarily commercial, the implications of its incursions are geopolitical: visiting Chinese leaders have declared Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela to be "strategic partners." As Ellis documents, China is investing heavily in Venezuelan crude oil, despite worries over Hugo Chávez's volatility and fears of embroiling itself in disputes between Caracas and Washington. China - together with illiberal petrostates - is a vital backstop for Chávez's authoritarian populist project and unrelenting drive to undercut U.S. interests and influence in the region. Inexplicably, Foggy Bottom has seemed largely oblivious to this concerted geopolitical challenge so close to home." -- www.foreignaffairs.com (Oct.15, 2010).
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 348
Book Description
"Through exhaustive field research and interviews, Ellis inventories, country by country, China's rapidly expanding commercial and diplomatic presence in Latin America and the Caribbean. The irresistible allure of trade with the Chinese is a mixed blessing for the region: to transport raw materials and agricultural goods, a new East-West infrastructure is expanding Pacific coast ports from Mexico to Chile, once again leaving Latin America overly dependent on the export of low-value-added commodities. And although China's motives may be primarily commercial, the implications of its incursions are geopolitical: visiting Chinese leaders have declared Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela to be "strategic partners." As Ellis documents, China is investing heavily in Venezuelan crude oil, despite worries over Hugo Chávez's volatility and fears of embroiling itself in disputes between Caracas and Washington. China - together with illiberal petrostates - is a vital backstop for Chávez's authoritarian populist project and unrelenting drive to undercut U.S. interests and influence in the region. Inexplicably, Foggy Bottom has seemed largely oblivious to this concerted geopolitical challenge so close to home." -- www.foreignaffairs.com (Oct.15, 2010).
China, The United States, and the Future of Latin America
Author: David B. H. Denoon
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479890332
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 430
Book Description
Provides insight into U.S. and Chinese involvement in aid, trade, direct investment and strategic ties in Latin America In recent years, China has become the largest trading partner for more than half the countries in Latin America, and demonstrated major commitments in aid and direct investment in various parts of the region. China has also made a number of strategic commitments to countries like Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela which have long-standing policies opposing U.S. influence in the region. China, the United States, and the Future of Latin America posits that this activity is a direct challenge to the role of the U.S. in Latin America and the Caribbean. Part of a three-volume series analyzing U.S.-China relations in parts of the world where neither country is dominant, this volume analyzes the interactions between the U.S., China, and Latin America. The book series has so far considered the differences in operating styles between China and the U.S. in Central Asia and Southeast Asia. This third volume unpacks the implications of competing U.S. and Chinese interests in countries such as Brazil and Argentina, and China’s commitments in Nicaragua and Venezuela. This volume draws upon a variety of policy experts, focusing on the viewpoints of South American and Caribbean scholars as well as scholars from outside states. China’s new global reach and its ambitions, as well as the U.S. response, are analyzed in detail.A nuanced examination of current complexities and future implications, China, the United States and the Future of Latin America provides readers with varied perspectives on the changing economic and strategic picture in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479890332
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 430
Book Description
Provides insight into U.S. and Chinese involvement in aid, trade, direct investment and strategic ties in Latin America In recent years, China has become the largest trading partner for more than half the countries in Latin America, and demonstrated major commitments in aid and direct investment in various parts of the region. China has also made a number of strategic commitments to countries like Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela which have long-standing policies opposing U.S. influence in the region. China, the United States, and the Future of Latin America posits that this activity is a direct challenge to the role of the U.S. in Latin America and the Caribbean. Part of a three-volume series analyzing U.S.-China relations in parts of the world where neither country is dominant, this volume analyzes the interactions between the U.S., China, and Latin America. The book series has so far considered the differences in operating styles between China and the U.S. in Central Asia and Southeast Asia. This third volume unpacks the implications of competing U.S. and Chinese interests in countries such as Brazil and Argentina, and China’s commitments in Nicaragua and Venezuela. This volume draws upon a variety of policy experts, focusing on the viewpoints of South American and Caribbean scholars as well as scholars from outside states. China’s new global reach and its ambitions, as well as the U.S. response, are analyzed in detail.A nuanced examination of current complexities and future implications, China, the United States and the Future of Latin America provides readers with varied perspectives on the changing economic and strategic picture in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Securing the Belt and Road Initiative
Author: Alessandro Arduino
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9811071160
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 311
Book Description
This collection explores the expansion of Chinese outbound investments, aimed to sustain the increased need for natural resources, and how they have amplified the magnitude of a possible international crisis that the People’s Republic of China may face in the near future by bringing together the views of a wide range of scholars. President Xi’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI), aimed to promote economic development and exchanges with China for over 60 countries, necessitates a wide range of security procedures. While the threats to Chinese enterprises and Chinese workers based on foreign soil are poised to increase, there is an urgent need to develop new guidelines for risk assessment, special insurance and crisis management. While the Chinese State Owned Enterprises are expanding their international reach capabilities, they still do not have the capacity to assure adequate security. In such a climate, this collection will be of profound value to policy makers, those working in the financial sector, and academics.
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9811071160
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 311
Book Description
This collection explores the expansion of Chinese outbound investments, aimed to sustain the increased need for natural resources, and how they have amplified the magnitude of a possible international crisis that the People’s Republic of China may face in the near future by bringing together the views of a wide range of scholars. President Xi’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI), aimed to promote economic development and exchanges with China for over 60 countries, necessitates a wide range of security procedures. While the threats to Chinese enterprises and Chinese workers based on foreign soil are poised to increase, there is an urgent need to develop new guidelines for risk assessment, special insurance and crisis management. While the Chinese State Owned Enterprises are expanding their international reach capabilities, they still do not have the capacity to assure adequate security. In such a climate, this collection will be of profound value to policy makers, those working in the financial sector, and academics.
Global Security Watch—Venezuela
Author: Daniel Charles Hellinger
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313393044
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
This in-depth study provides a timely assessment of how the foreign, military, and security policies of Venezuela shape relations with the United States in the Chavez era. The growing importance of Venezuela in the global oil market along with the controversial nature of its leadership provoke concern among some world powers—especially the United States, whose international policies have been heavily criticized by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. This critical look at American/Venezuelan relations presents perceptions held by each government of the other and examines the sources of tensions—and points of confluence—between the two countries. Global Security Watch—Venezuela traces the political relations between the United States and Venezuela from the early roots based in Pan Americanism to the domestic and foreign policies of the Chavez regime, including petro-diplomacy. This book provides a serious examination of the allegations about Venezuelan involvement in the drug trade, terrorism, and intervention; the view that the unilateralism of the United States threatens world peace; and the future of relations between the two countries.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313393044
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
This in-depth study provides a timely assessment of how the foreign, military, and security policies of Venezuela shape relations with the United States in the Chavez era. The growing importance of Venezuela in the global oil market along with the controversial nature of its leadership provoke concern among some world powers—especially the United States, whose international policies have been heavily criticized by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. This critical look at American/Venezuelan relations presents perceptions held by each government of the other and examines the sources of tensions—and points of confluence—between the two countries. Global Security Watch—Venezuela traces the political relations between the United States and Venezuela from the early roots based in Pan Americanism to the domestic and foreign policies of the Chavez regime, including petro-diplomacy. This book provides a serious examination of the allegations about Venezuelan involvement in the drug trade, terrorism, and intervention; the view that the unilateralism of the United States threatens world peace; and the future of relations between the two countries.
China-Latin America Military Engagement
Author: R. Evan Ellis
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781466320116
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 76
Book Description
The reemergence of China on the global stage is arguably one of the most important phenomena of our time. With its sustained high rates of economic growth, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has dra¬matically increased trade and investment flows with the rest of the world, including regions such as Latin America, with which it historically has had very little interaction. In many of these countries, the PRC has gone from having an almost negligible economic pres¬ence to replacing the United States as the number one or number two trading partner. Moreover, particular¬ly since the end of the global financial crisis, Chinese companies, in coordination with the Chinese govern-ment and banks, have begun to make multibillion dol¬lar loans and investments in Latin America, creating a rapidly expanding presence of Chinese companies and workers in the region in such sectors as construc¬tion, logistics, manufacturing, telecommunications, and retail. In terms of "soft power," the PRC has argu¬ably captured the imaginations of Latin American po¬litical leaders, businessmen, and students as a power meriting attention and, in some cases, courtship. While a great deal of attention has been given to Chinese commercial activity in Latin America, very little has been written in the open press regarding Chi¬nese military engagement with the region. While vis¬its by senior military leaders and major arms sales are reported in the Latin American press, there has been, to date, almost no detailed, comparative analysis of the PRC-Latin America military relationship. This is particularly striking, given the emphasis placed on military relationships in determining whether Chi¬nese engagement with the region constitutes a threat to U.S. national security interests. Dr. Evan Ellis of the Center for Hemispheric De¬fense Studies fills an important void in the burgeon¬ing literature regarding China's activities with Latin America. This monograph provides a detailed, re¬gion-wide analysis of PRC military engagement with Latin America, including not only arms sales, but also senior-level military visits, personnel exchanges, and activities of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the region, ranging from its 6-year participation in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces in Haiti, to its November 2010 humanitarian exercise in Peru, An¬gel de la Paz. The work leverages the extensive Spanish and English-language primary research by Dr. Ellis in the open source literature of the region, as well as off-the-record interviews with current and former Latin American military officers who have directly partici¬pated in the activities treated. Dr. Ellis explains that Chinese military activity in Latin America is far more extensive than is commonly recognized. At the same time, it also goes against con¬ventional wisdom by arguing that, in the short term, such activity does not seek to achieve formal alliances or a permanent military presence in the region, but rather to advance commercial and political objectives to include increasing China's understanding of, and influence within, Latin American governments. While the arguments of Dr. Ellis may be surprising to some, the monograph will undoubtedly serve as an important reference point for scholars from multiple perspectives: those following the rise of China, those studying Latin American security issues, students of international relations, and students of U.S. national security, among others. In the course of these expanding interactions, the PRC has emphasized the "peaceful nature" of its in¬teractions, which have profound implications not only for the world's economy, but for its security environ¬ment as well. The growth of China has played out dif¬ferently in each region.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781466320116
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 76
Book Description
The reemergence of China on the global stage is arguably one of the most important phenomena of our time. With its sustained high rates of economic growth, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has dra¬matically increased trade and investment flows with the rest of the world, including regions such as Latin America, with which it historically has had very little interaction. In many of these countries, the PRC has gone from having an almost negligible economic pres¬ence to replacing the United States as the number one or number two trading partner. Moreover, particular¬ly since the end of the global financial crisis, Chinese companies, in coordination with the Chinese govern-ment and banks, have begun to make multibillion dol¬lar loans and investments in Latin America, creating a rapidly expanding presence of Chinese companies and workers in the region in such sectors as construc¬tion, logistics, manufacturing, telecommunications, and retail. In terms of "soft power," the PRC has argu¬ably captured the imaginations of Latin American po¬litical leaders, businessmen, and students as a power meriting attention and, in some cases, courtship. While a great deal of attention has been given to Chinese commercial activity in Latin America, very little has been written in the open press regarding Chi¬nese military engagement with the region. While vis¬its by senior military leaders and major arms sales are reported in the Latin American press, there has been, to date, almost no detailed, comparative analysis of the PRC-Latin America military relationship. This is particularly striking, given the emphasis placed on military relationships in determining whether Chi¬nese engagement with the region constitutes a threat to U.S. national security interests. Dr. Evan Ellis of the Center for Hemispheric De¬fense Studies fills an important void in the burgeon¬ing literature regarding China's activities with Latin America. This monograph provides a detailed, re¬gion-wide analysis of PRC military engagement with Latin America, including not only arms sales, but also senior-level military visits, personnel exchanges, and activities of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the region, ranging from its 6-year participation in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces in Haiti, to its November 2010 humanitarian exercise in Peru, An¬gel de la Paz. The work leverages the extensive Spanish and English-language primary research by Dr. Ellis in the open source literature of the region, as well as off-the-record interviews with current and former Latin American military officers who have directly partici¬pated in the activities treated. Dr. Ellis explains that Chinese military activity in Latin America is far more extensive than is commonly recognized. At the same time, it also goes against con¬ventional wisdom by arguing that, in the short term, such activity does not seek to achieve formal alliances or a permanent military presence in the region, but rather to advance commercial and political objectives to include increasing China's understanding of, and influence within, Latin American governments. While the arguments of Dr. Ellis may be surprising to some, the monograph will undoubtedly serve as an important reference point for scholars from multiple perspectives: those following the rise of China, those studying Latin American security issues, students of international relations, and students of U.S. national security, among others. In the course of these expanding interactions, the PRC has emphasized the "peaceful nature" of its in¬teractions, which have profound implications not only for the world's economy, but for its security environ¬ment as well. The growth of China has played out dif¬ferently in each region.
Global China
Author: Tarun Chhabra
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 0815739176
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 430
Book Description
The global implications of China's rise as a global actor In 2005, a senior official in the George W. Bush administration expressed the hope that China would emerge as a “responsible stakeholder” on the world stage. A dozen years later, the Trump administration dramatically shifted course, instead calling China a “strategic competitor” whose actions routinely threaten U.S. interests. Both assessments reflected an underlying truth: China is no longer just a “rising” power. It has emerged as a truly global actor, both economically and militarily. Every day its actions affect nearly every region and every major issue, from climate change to trade, from conflict in troubled lands to competition over rules that will govern the uses of emerging technologies. To better address the implications of China's new status, both for American policy and for the broader international order, Brookings scholars conducted research over the past two years, culminating in a project: Global China: Assessing China's Growing Role in the World. The project is intended to furnish policy makers and the public with hard facts and deep insights for understanding China's regional and global ambitions. The initiative draws not only on Brookings's deep bench of China and East Asia experts, but also on the tremendous breadth of the institution's security, strategy, regional studies, technological, and economic development experts. Areas of focus include the evolution of China's domestic institutions; great power relations; the emergence of critical technologies; Asian security; China's influence in key regions beyond Asia; and China's impact on global governance and norms. Global China: Assessing China's Growing Role in the World provides the most current, broad-scope, and fact-based assessment of the implications of China's rise for the United States and the rest of the world.
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 0815739176
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 430
Book Description
The global implications of China's rise as a global actor In 2005, a senior official in the George W. Bush administration expressed the hope that China would emerge as a “responsible stakeholder” on the world stage. A dozen years later, the Trump administration dramatically shifted course, instead calling China a “strategic competitor” whose actions routinely threaten U.S. interests. Both assessments reflected an underlying truth: China is no longer just a “rising” power. It has emerged as a truly global actor, both economically and militarily. Every day its actions affect nearly every region and every major issue, from climate change to trade, from conflict in troubled lands to competition over rules that will govern the uses of emerging technologies. To better address the implications of China's new status, both for American policy and for the broader international order, Brookings scholars conducted research over the past two years, culminating in a project: Global China: Assessing China's Growing Role in the World. The project is intended to furnish policy makers and the public with hard facts and deep insights for understanding China's regional and global ambitions. The initiative draws not only on Brookings's deep bench of China and East Asia experts, but also on the tremendous breadth of the institution's security, strategy, regional studies, technological, and economic development experts. Areas of focus include the evolution of China's domestic institutions; great power relations; the emergence of critical technologies; Asian security; China's influence in key regions beyond Asia; and China's impact on global governance and norms. Global China: Assessing China's Growing Role in the World provides the most current, broad-scope, and fact-based assessment of the implications of China's rise for the United States and the rest of the world.
China-Latin America Military Engagement
Author: R. Evan Ellis
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781304110831
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The reemergence of China on the global stage is arguably one of the most important phenomena of our time. With its sustained high rates of economic growth, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has dramatically increased trade and investment flows with the rest of the world, including regions such as Latin America, with which it historically has had very little interaction. In many of these countries, the PRC has gone from having an almost negligible economic presence to replacing the United States as the number one or number two trading partner. Moreover, particularly since the end of the global financial crisis, Chinese companies, in coordination with the Chinese government and banks, have begun to make multibillion dollar loans and investments in Latin America, creating a rapidly expanding presence of Chinese companies and workers in the region in such sectors as construction, logistics, manufacturing, telecommunications, and retail.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781304110831
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The reemergence of China on the global stage is arguably one of the most important phenomena of our time. With its sustained high rates of economic growth, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has dramatically increased trade and investment flows with the rest of the world, including regions such as Latin America, with which it historically has had very little interaction. In many of these countries, the PRC has gone from having an almost negligible economic presence to replacing the United States as the number one or number two trading partner. Moreover, particularly since the end of the global financial crisis, Chinese companies, in coordination with the Chinese government and banks, have begun to make multibillion dollar loans and investments in Latin America, creating a rapidly expanding presence of Chinese companies and workers in the region in such sectors as construction, logistics, manufacturing, telecommunications, and retail.