A globally connected network of solar and wind energy could provide three times the global energy demand by 2050 at a lower cost than independent national power systems. This is the finding of a study led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Denmark.
The study focused on how areas with high solar and wind capacity (such as deserts) can be linked ...
Category: South America
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.
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
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.
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 ...
Brazil’s Lula to Visit China Ahead of Regional Summit
Brazil's president will begin a five-day trip to China on Saturday, Beijing announced, ahead of a gathering of Latin American leaders in the country next week. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's state visit comes at the invitation of counterpart President Xi ...
Gunmen Attack Chinese-Owned Power Plant Site in Chile
Gunmen attacked a Chinese-owned hydroelectric plant under construction in Chile Sunday, setting fire to dozens of trucks and heavy earth-moving equipment, police said. The Rucalhue power plant is being built by Rucalhue Energia Spa, a unit of China International Water and ...
Argentina Extends China Debt Deal Despite U.S. Pressure
Argentina extended a multi-billion-dollar currency swap agreement with China Thursday, despite fierce opposition to the deal in Washington. The cash-strapped South American nation extended the $5 billion accord with Beijing for one more year, securing much-needed foreign reserves. ...
Colombia Seizes 54 Tons of China-Bound Smartphone Minerals
Colombian police said Wednesday they had seized 54 tons of tin and coltan, a mineral used in smartphones, that had been illicitly extracted by leftist rebels and readied for shipment to China. They valued the seizure, one of the biggest of ...
China Slams U.S. ‘Interference’ in Venezuela Over Trump Oil Tariff Threat
China on Tuesday accused the United States of "interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs" after President Donald Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on imports from countries that bought oil and gas from the South American nation. On Monday, Trump said the new ...
Trump Moves to Punish Venezuelan Oil Trade, With China and India Likely to Feel the Blow
By Beiyi Seow and Becca Milfed U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday steep tariffs on imports from countries buying Venezuelan oil and gas, a punitive measure that could hit China and India, among others, and sow fresh global trade uncertainty.
Ecuador Set to Receive Chinese-Built Dam Pending Arbitration Over Defects
By Julie Radomski The hydroelectric megaproject Coca Codo Sinclair is among Latin America's most controversial Chinese-financed and constructed infrastructure projects. Although officially inaugurated in 2016, the dam has not yet been formally handed over to the Ecuadorian government — but this ...
Chile Reviews Chinese Observatory Plans Slammed by U.S.
Chile said Wednesday it was reviewing an agreement for the construction of a Chinese astronomical observatory on its soil, a project that has drawn criticism from Washington as it jostles with Beijing for influence in Latin America. Under an agreement signed ...
Colombia Juggles Closer China Ties and Trump Tensions
By Rodrigo Rodríguez On 26 January, a diplomatic spat erupted between Colombia and the United States, as the South American country’s president, Gustavo Petro, refused to land a flight carrying Colombian citizens deported from the US. Taking to social media, Petro
Why South America’s Trade With China Could Blunt Trump’s Tariff Edge
A new investigation by Reuters shows that the Trump administration's threat of tariffs is mostly successful with a small number of Latin American countries mainly exporting to the U.S., like Mexico and Colombia. In contrast, most South American exports to the ...