Category: South America

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 ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The Pain of Un-Polarity

“THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!”
This post by U.S. President Donald Trump in the run-up to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week may end up leaving a more lasting mark than the actual summit he attended.

Get a daily email packed with the latest news and analysis from Africa, Asia, and across the Global South.
Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping ...

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 ...

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 ...
Page 1 of 612…6