Sino-Latin American Relations: Chinese Views of Latin America

Abstract

In this study we explore Chinese views of their country’s rapidly growing political and economic ties with Latin America. We adopt a dual approach in this project. First, we examine the Chinese press and academic community’s accounts of China’s relationship with Latin America. Our preliminary analysis indicates that China’s overwhelming focus is on the country’s economic relationship with Latin America, while seeking to avoid overt political entanglements. Trade and investment opportunities appear to dominate published accounts of this relationship. Second, we conducted an original survey of Chinese undergraduate and graduate students, mid-level officials, and academics in a relatively large city in Eastern China. This survey allows us to determine how individual-level characteristics such as income, political interest, knowledge of world politics, and views of China’s role in world affairs influence views of the importance of Latin America and future of Sino-Latin American relations.