Latin America Facing China

...fills a significant gap in the existing discourse by providing a comprehensive analysis of a crucial structural feature of South-South relations. Alex Fernandez Jilberto (who sadly passed away shortly before the book was published) and Barbara Hogenboom have put together insightful chapters on the bilateral relations between individual Latin American states and China, written by knowledgeable specialists, to produce one of the best books yet in its field. International Affairs This is an excellent macro study of Sino-Latin American relations. The credentials of the contributors are first-rate, as are the organization and readability of the book - Highly Recommended. Choice [This] volume is filled with rich data drawn from timely empirical research...[A] crucial contribution to Latin American Studies on a subject of ever increasing urgency. From a political economy perspective this sophisticated yet accessible volume covers the waterfront of major domestic and international relations issues raised by China's growing influence in the region. The focus on the longer-term development implications of the relationship for Latin America raise a critical question that cuts to the core of Latin America's perennial dilemma. How will the region wean itself off raw materials exports as the principal engine of economic growth? The relationship with China, in any case, does not seem to be the path. Eduardo Silva, Tulane University The last quarter of the twentieth century was a period of economic crises, increasing indebtedness as well as financial instability for Latin America and most other developing countries; in contrast, China showed amazingly high growth rates during this time and has since become the third largest economy in the world. Based on several case studies, this volume assesses how China's rise - one of the most important recent changes in the global economy - is affecting Latin America's national politics, political economy and regional and international relations. Several Latin American countries benefit from China's economic growth, and China's new role in international politics has been helpful to many leftist governments' efforts in Latin America to end the Washington Consensus. The contributors to this thought provoking volume examine these and the other causes, effects and prospects of Latin America's experiences with China's global expansion from a South - South perspective. Alex E. Fernandez Jilberto was Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Amsterdam until his death in 2010. Barbara Hogenboom is Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the Centre for Latin American Research and Documentation (CEDLA) in Amsterdam. Together they have published several edited volumes, including Big Business and Economic Development - Conglomerates and Economic Groups in Developing Countries and Transition Economies (Routledge, 2008).