China’s engagement in Africa is often seen by many observers in a vacuum without a broader understanding of how the relationship compares to Beijing’s strategy in other regions of the world. South America, in particular, provides an interesting contrast for how China’s engagement is both similar to what it’s doing in Africa but also highlights a number of fascinating distinctions.
Dr. Matt Ferchen is a leading expert on Chinese-South American relations. Dr. Ferchen is an Associate Professor of international relations at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing and he is also a Resident Scholar at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center where he runs the China and the Developing World program.
Dr. Ferchen joins Eric & Cobus for the latest installment in our ongoing series of China and the world discussions to compare China’s engagement in Africa with what it’s doing in Latin and South America.
Matt Ferchen is a resident scholar at the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, where he runs the China and the Developing World Program. His research focuses on the governance of China’s urban informal economy, debates about the “China model” of development, and economic and political relations between China and Latin America.
Ferchen is also an associate professor in the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on international and Chinese political economy as well as on China–Latin America relations.
Ferchen is a Truman and Fulbright-Hays fellow. His work has appeared in numerous publications including the Review of International Political Economy and the Chinese Journal of International Politics. Ferchen has lived, worked, and conducted research in China and Latin America.
