This piece is full of misconceptions about China's role in Latin America. Let me address some of them and recommend a few sources.
1) "China is buying influence with loans": @D_Brautigam and others have debunked the China debt trap myth. @MyersMargaret and @KevinPGallagher show China's policy banks have given no new loans to LatAm since 2019.
See thedialogue.org and theatlantic.com
See thedialogue.org and theatlantic.com
2) "This is about democracy vs authoritarianism". False. Bolsonaro was authoritarian and anti-China. Many democratic leaders in LatAm pursue closer ties w/Beijing. Why is only the US entitled to a pragmatic foreign policy?
3) "Chinese projects undermine labor and environmental rights". Not necessarily, they adapt to local institutions and demands, that's how they work in Venezuela and Chile alike.
See Carnegie's great "China Local/Global" initiative led by @EvanFeigenbaum carnegieendowment.org
See Carnegie's great "China Local/Global" initiative led by @EvanFeigenbaum carnegieendowment.org
4) "The US should respond w/ scholarships". Sure, but that's a drop in the ocean. To grow LatAm needs + investment and US companies can't stomach the risk while China supports its companies to win contracts.
Read @stephenbkaplan's great book cambridge.org
Read @stephenbkaplan's great book cambridge.org
5) "The US should help us educate LatAm on values". That's elitist and wrong. Given the state of US democracy (and US history in the region), it might be the other way around. Enough with the backyard mentality.
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