In terms of geopolitical optics, this week was nothing short of a banquet. It served up at least two sets of images that seem to crystallize our historical moment and that will live on in the Wikipedia of history as shorthand for where the world was in 2025.
One is the waves of uncannily synchronized soldiers and a bewildering array of high-tech weaponry gliding down Beijing’s Chang’an Avenue. The ...
Category: South America
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 ...
Bolivia Candidate Vows to Scrap China, Russia Lithium Deals
By José Arturo Cárdenas and Gonzalo Torrico Bolivian right-wing presidential hopeful Jorge Quiroga on Monday vowed to scrap billion-dollar lithium extraction deals struck by the outgoing government with Russia and China if elected leader. "We ...
Xi Says China, Brazil Can Model ‘Self-Reliance’ for Global South
China's President Xi Jinping told his Brazilian counterpart Tuesday the two countries could set an example of "self-reliance" for emerging powers, as trade and geopolitical challenges mount. The two leaders have both sought in recent months to present their countries as ...
Paraguay Says Will Defend Ties With Taiwan, Host Its President
Paraguay, Taiwan's only remaining diplomatic ally in South America, vowed Monday to defend its ties with the self-governing democracy claimed by China and announced its president, Lai Ching-te, will visit in August. President Santiago Pena hosted Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung ...
When Ideology Meets Inflation, Argentina’s Milei Turns to China
The cry “Cambio! Cambio! Cambio!” rings out along Calle Florida, the bustling commercial artery of Buenos Aires. Dozens of unofficial money changers—many of them migrants from Chile, Venezuela, and Bolivia—line the street, calling out to passersby. They offer mercado azul, or the “blue market” exchange rates, trading ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
BRICS Nations to Gather Without Xi, Putin
By Facundo Fernández Barrio BRICS leaders will meet in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday, with the bloc depleted by the absence of China's Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual summit of emerging economies for the first time in 12 years.
South American Bloc Looks to Asia, Europe in Face of Trump Trade War
By Martin Raschinsky and Tomas Viola South America's Mercosur bloc sought Thursday to expand its markets in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's global trade war, with Brazil calling for closer ties with dynamic Asian economies.
Bolivia Risks Debt Default Without New Funding, Says President
Bolivia, battling an economic crisis that has plunged it into social unrest, risks defaulting on its loan payments if it does not obtain new foreign financing, President Luis Arce told AFP on Wednesday. "We are trying not to default. We have ...
BYD’s Brazil Scandal Sparks Rare Self-Reflection in China
When news broke that Chinese automaker BYD was being sued in Brazil for labor violations involving over 220 Chinese workers, the reaction on Chinese social media was swift and defensive. Conspiracy theories surged—some claimed Brazilian workers were jealous, others blamed foreign interference, and a few pointed ...
Guerrilla-Turned-Filmmaker: Colombia’s Versatile Envoy in Beijing
Colombia's ambassador to China first arrived in Beijing six decades ago and trained under Mao Zedong's revolutionary forces, before returning home to join a communist guerrilla group. Sergio Cabrera then made a name for himself as an acclaimed filmmaker, and now ...
Brazil Sues China’s BYD Over ‘Slavery’ Conditions on Build Site
Brazilian prosecutors are suing Chinese electric car giant BYD and two contracting companies for human trafficking and alleged slave labor conditions at a build site, according to legal documents seen by AFP Thursday. The case concerns 220 Chinese workers found last ...
China Not Trying to ‘Replace’ U.S. in Colombia: Ambassador
China is not seeking to "replace" the United States as the top trading partner of Colombia, Beijing's ambassador to Bogota, whose president has announced a pivot to China, told AFP on Tuesday. Until recently Colombia was one of the United States' ...