Adaptive China: Engaging Local Realities in Latin America and Beyond

Latin America, as in many parts of the world, has struggled to adjust to the rapid influx of Chinese investment and influence. But these interactions between Latin American countries and China are not homogenous, providing important lessons from this diversity of experience.

China, too, has learned much from its growing activities in the region. Chinese actors are increasingly adapting to local conditions, despite the dominant narrative that China extends its global influence by imposing its development model on other countries. As Chinese players have also used adaptive strategies, assimilating local and traditional forms, norms, and practices, they are developing a complex web of interconnections in Latin America. 

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Universidad del Pacífico will host an event in Lima, Peru, and streaming online, to address the diverse ways that China is expanding its relationships in Latin America. Leveraging a deeply researched body of work in Carnegie’s China Local/Global initiative, this event will feature a keynote address by former Chilean ambassador to China Jorge Heine on “The China Question in Latin America,” followed by a robust discussion featuring Latin American authors of research in the initiative, as well as comparative perspectives by authors from other regions.