China Local/Global: Latin America

About the Project

A dominant narrative, especially in Washington, is that China extends its global influence by exporting its developmental model and imposing it on other countries. But China also extends its influence by working through local actors and institutions while adapting and assimilating local and traditional forms, norms, and practices. With the generous support of the Ford Foundation, Carnegie has launched an innovative body of research on Chinese engagement in seven regions of the world—Africa, Central Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, the Pacific, South Asia, and Southeast Asia—exploring these adaptive Chinese strategies that work within local realities and are mostly ignored by Western policymakers.

Video of Omar Manky discussing DiDi Chuxing's strategies for success in the Latin American ride-hailing market.
video
How DiDi Chuxing Won Over Latin America: Strategic Moves and Policy Lessons

What's the secret behind DiDi Chuxing's success in the Latin American ride-hailing market? Omar Manky explores DiDi's strategies for success, which includes an emphasis on local partnerships, addressing security issues, and promoting social initiatives.

  • Omar Manky
· August 20, 2024
paper
How DiDi Chuxing Adapts to Latin America’s Era of Digital Platforms

The Chinese ride-hailing app has acclimated remarkably well to local conditions, challenging simplistic narratives about the entry of Chinese companies into the region.

  • Omar Manky
  • Natalia Mogollón
· July 1, 2024
video
How Brazil is Flipping the Script on Trade Relations With China

China is Brazil's largest and most important trading partner. Celio Hiratuka explains how the Brazil-China trade relationship is evolving and how the Chinese automaker BYD is just one example of how Brazil is getting more out of its largest economic partner.

  • Celio Hiratuka
· December 13, 2022
paper
Why Brazil Sought Chinese Investments to Diversify Its Manufacturing Economy

Some Chinese firms have sought to localize to meet Brazil’s stringent local content requirements. This has yielded mixed results. Brazil must craft a long-term strategy for its economic relationship with China to increase the odds that bilateral engagement can advance in a new and more sustainable, mutually beneficial direction.

  • Celio Hiratuka
· October 18, 2022
event
China Goes Local: How Chinese Players Engage Outside National Capitals
March 10, 2022

Outside national capitals, Chinese players are engaging local actors, from mayors, to community groups, to faith-based organizations in dynamic ways. This, in turn, is both entrenching China’s influence and compelling Chinese actors to adapt to and meet local demands.

  • +2
video
How China Has Spearheaded Renewables in Argentina’s Energy Sector

Argentina's energy sector is revitalizing as it aims to be a leader in renewable energy in Latin America. China is a key benefactor, investing in large-scale energy infrastructure projects and providing renewable energy technology. Juliana González Jáuregui explains how China came to be a major player in Argentina's renewable energy sector and how Chinese firms have responded to growing criticism from Indigenous populations.

  • Juliana González Jáuregui
· March 8, 2022
event
How to Make China Adapt to Local Needs
January 27, 2022

A lively discussion of powerful similarities and intriguing differences across four regions—Southeast Asia, Latin America, Central Asia, and South Asia—and what can be learned by comparing local strategies and Chinese responses around infrastructure, investment, and training.

  • +2
paper
How Argentina Pushed Chinese Investors to Help Revitalize Its Energy Grid

Argentina is one of the few places in the world where China has made considerable investments in renewable energy. It is Argentinians themselves who successfully pushed Chinese players to help rebuild their power grid from the ground up.

  • Juliana González Jáuregui
· December 22, 2021
video
How Indigenous People Fought Back Chinese Copper Mining in Ecuador

Chinese copper mining in Ecuador have become a key component of the China-Ecuador relationship. But those ties have come at the cost of strong pushback from Indigenous Ecuadorons. Cintia Quiliconi explains how Indigenous people pushed back against Chinese copper mining in Ecuador and how Chinese firms have adapted to local resistance.

  • Cintia Quiliconi
· November 4, 2021
video
The Cost of China’s Infrastructure Projects in Brazil

China is a key financier of Brazil's massive infrastructure projects, especially it's sprawling railroad network. However, these projects have come at a steep environmental cost in places like the Amazon, while Indigenous people and other local populations have fought hard against these Chinese-funded projects.

· September 24, 2021
paper
Chinese Mining and Indigenous Resistance in Ecuador

Chinese mining conglomerates sought to adapt to local conditions by forging alliances with the Ecuadorian national government. But these Chinese efforts to leverage local players undercut and divided Indigenous opposition in unsustainable ways that have backfired.

  • Cintia Quiliconi
  • Pablo Rodriguez Vasco
· September 20, 2021
paper
What Railway Deals Taught Chinese and Brazilians in the Amazon

Chinese-funded railway projects in the Brazilian Amazon were profoundly shaped by dynamic institutional learning on both sides and sharp public debates in Brazil about environmental sustainability.

  • Adriana Erthal Abdenur
  • Maiara Folly
  • Maurício Santoro
· August 4, 2021