When it was announced in 2023 that the African Union would become a full member of the G20, I darkly joked on a podcast that the AU’s entry into the body could very well mark the moment the G20 lost its status as one of the most important global coordination forums. Mark my words, I said, soon The Economist will be like “Uhhh, the G20 is OVER – it’s the ...
Category: South America
Why Argentina Is Turning to China’s Natural-Gas Buses in an Age of EV
Argentina recently committed $45 million to purchase 150 natural-gas buses from China’s King Long, a move that may seem counterintuitive to readers accustomed to seeing Latin American cities embrace full electrification. But an article on a WeChat public account focused on Latin America’s economy explains that ...
Bolivia’s Lithium Mines Drive U.S. Rapprochement, Chinese Commentator Says
On his first day in office, Bolivia’s new president, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, made a historic move, ending a 17-year diplomatic deadlock with the United States. On Saturday, he announced the full restoration of ties, including the exchange of ambassadors. The high-level U.S. presence at his inauguration underscored ...
China Approves Chile Lithium Alliance, Clearing Major Hurdle
China has given the green light to a major partnership between Chile's state-owned copper giant, Codelco, and lithium company SQM, unlocking plans to ramp up extraction in the Atacama salt flat -- one of the world's top lithium sites. Chile holds ...
Chinese Scholars See Russia’s Venezuela Strategy as a Model of Hybrid Power Projection in the U.S.’ Backyard
Amid the ongoing deterioration of U.S.–Venezuelan relations, one analysis from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Institute of Latin American Studies, offers a valuable perspective on how Russia extends its global influence through selective partnerships in Latin America. By focusing on ...
Chinese Demand Boosts Brazilian Coffee Exports and Challenges Small Producers
Since 2018, São Paulo–based businesswoman Carla Guindani has been eyeing the Chinese market. That year, she was invited by ApexBrasil, a Brazilian government agency dedicated to promoting exports, to exhibit family farming products at the Shanghai International Food Exhibition. At the time, Guindani was head of a ...
Brazil President ’s BYD Endorsement Wins Fans on Chinese Social Media
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has made an unusually public endorsement of a Chinese automaker. On October 9, Lula became the owner of a BYD Song Pro SUV, the company’s 14 millionth new energy vehicle. He also released a ...
China Responds to Mounting Concerns Over Huge Fishing Fleet Massing Outside of Chilean Waters
The Chinese embassy in Chile issued a statement on Saturday that tried to allay concerns that an armada of Chinese fishing trawlers was illegally operating in the South American country's waters. The accusations that "Chinese fishing vessels evade supervision and engage in ...
As China Buys From South America, U.S. Farmers Reel From Soybean Slump Amid Escalating Trade War
By Beiyi Seow The U.S. soybean harvest is underway and in rural Maryland, farmer Travis Hutchison cracks open a pod to show how a field is nearly dry enough for reaping. But a decent yield ...
Famed ‘Sponge Cities’ Chinese Architect Dead in Brazil Plane Crash
Chinese landscape architect Yu Kongjian, known for his so-called nature-mimicking "sponge cities," has died in a small plane crash in Brazil with two filmmakers documenting his work, police said Wednesday. The 62-year-old was considered a leading figure in sustainable urban planning; ...
Why Venezuela Has Become China’s Frontline Partner Against U.S. Pressure
A Chinese military blogger on the video platform Bilibili recently analyzed the rising military tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela, framing Venezuela’s importance to China in both strategic and practical terms. His argument goes beyond oil, even though Venezuela holds ...
Why Chinese Companies Are Pouring Money Into Brazil
China’s economic ties with Brazil are booming, and 2024 saw a stunning 113% jump in Chinese investment, totaling $4.2 billion across 39 projects, the highest number ever, according to a new report by the Brazil-China Business Council.
The Evolving Role of China in Argentina’s Energy Transition
By Javier Lewkowicz Over the past decade, Chinese companies have played a fundamental role in the expansion of Argentina’s clean energy infrastructure, both through financing and direct participation in large projects. However, recent geopolitical and economic ...