Latin America and the Caribbean
Since 2010, China has been the most important export market for South America, and the second for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as a whole. It is also among the top sources of foreign direct investment and sovereign finance. The impact of this new partner can be traced in a South American boom of agricultural and minerals commodities, as well as infrastructure construction throughout the LAC region.
This research program examines China’s impacts on LAC’s regional economies, environmental management and human development. In partnership with the Inter-American Dialogue, GCI researchers created the Chinese Loans to Latin America and the Caribbean Database to track loans from China’s two major development finance institutions, the China Development Bank and Export-Import Bank of China, to LAC governments and state-owned enterprises. Other research products, including the annual China-Latin America and the Caribbean Economic Bulletin and working papers, explore the most important economic flows between these two regions, and the impact of this new economic partnership on LAC’s sustainable and inclusive infrastructure and investment, economic diversification and environmental governance.
Research Highlights
Latest News and Publications
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Five Topics to Watch at the Fourth China-CELAC Forum
May 05, 2025By Julie Radomski, Zara Albright and Rebecca Ray As Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) leaders prepare for the upcoming China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum in Beijing, the meeting should be viewed less as a venue for announcing... [ More ]
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Around the Halls: A Year in Review and Look Ahead to 2025
December 18, 2024The most notable milestone of 2024 was the 80th anniversary of the Bretton Woods institutions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and World Trade Organization. This anniversary came as calls for ambitious global economic governance reforms gain momentum... [ More ]
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¿Qué ganan los prestatarios? Los determinantes domésticos del financiamiento chino en América Latina, 2008-2019
September 13, 2024Por Zara C. Albright Entre 2008 y 2019, los países de América Latina suscribieron $132 mil millones de créditos de las instituciones chinas para el financiamiento de desarrollo (IFDs) y $155 mil millones del Banco Mundial, incluso las ventanillas del Banco... [ More ]
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What’s in it for Borrowers? Explaining the Domestic Drivers of Chinese Development Finance in Latin America, 2008-2009
September 13, 2024By Zara C. Albright Between 2008-2019, Latin American (LAC) countries borrowed $132 billion from Chinese development finance institutions (DFIs) and $155 billion from the World Bank, including its International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Development Association (IDA) windows. Figure... [ More ]
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The Political and Pragmatic Determinants of Chinese Development Finance in Latin America, 2008-2019
September 09, 2024Between 2008-2019, Latin American (LAC) countries borrowed $132 billion from Chinese development finance institutions (DFIs) and $155 billion from the World Bank. Over 20 LAC countries have become signatories of China’s Belt and Road Initiative since its inception. Additionally, LAC... [ More ]
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China, Latin America and the Caribbean Deepen Ties as Chinese Firms Shift to Direct Investment and Infrastructure
July 30, 2024By Rebecca Ray In 2023, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and China continued to deepen their economic relations, with a record number of presidential visits and continued strength in Chinese investment and infrastructure in LAC. These are among the findings of... [ More ]
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China-Latin America and the Caribbean Economic Bulletin, 2024 Edition
July 29, 2024Over the last year, Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) governments took intentional steps forward in their relationships with China, with frequent visits to discuss the important emerging sectors, such as telecommunications and renewable energy supply chains. Concurrently, while lower-technology mineral and... [ More ]
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Feeling the Stones: Chinese Development Finance to Latin America and the Caribbean, 2023
June 14, 2024The Chinese Loans to Latin America and the Caribbean (CLLAC) Database, jointly managed by the Inter-American Dialogue and the Boston University Global Development Policy Center, recorded two new Chinese overseas finance commitments in 2023 worth a combined $1.3 billion. Both loans... [ More ]
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The Role of Development Banks in Catalyzing the Infrastructure of South America in the 21st Century
March 21, 2024While Asia continues to grow, South America remains stagnant. There are multiple reasons for this, but one major obstacle is the lack of investment in infrastructure. Development bank support for infrastructure investments in South America could unlock unlimited growth and... [ More ]
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Testimony before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission – Consumer Products from China: Safety, Regulations and Supply Chains
March 01, 2024Editor’s Note: The following testimony was delivered by Dr. Rebecca Ray to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission hearing on Consumer Products from China: Safety, Regulations and Supply Chains on March 1, 2024. Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to testify before the... [ More ]