China’s Economic Impacts on Latin America

Author(s):  
Rhys Jenkins

The chapter considers three aspects of China’s economic impact on Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It looks first at the direct and indirect effects of increased Chinese demand for commodities, which benefitted a number of LAC economies in the short and medium term. China’s role in financing and building infrastructure in the region has been less significant than in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The impact on manufacturing has been of much greater concern, with all the main countries in the region facing increased competition in the domestic market, and those that had developed significant exports of manufactures also losing out in third markets. Three case studies of Brazil, Mexico, and Chile illustrate different patterns of economic relations between China and Latin America.

Author(s):  
Rhys Jenkins

This is a brief introduction to the re-emergence of China as a global economic power, emphasizing the role played by changes in the global economy from the 1970s and the internal reforms in China from the end of the 1970s. It describes briefly the importance of economic relations with China for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and introduces contrasting views of the impact of China on SSA and LAC. It emphasizes a framework which highlights both the direct and indirect impacts of China on the two regions, and identifies both positive and negative effects. It provides an outline of the main parts and chapters of the book.


Author(s):  
Rhys Jenkins

The chapter considers three key aspects of China’s economic impact on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). First, the direct and indirect effects of increased Chinese demand for commodities, which benefitted a number of SSA economies in the short and medium term, are looked at. China’s major contribution to development in the region has been through financing and building infrastructure. Finally, the impact on SSA manufacturing is analyzed. Despite concerns about the negative impact on domestic industry, it only appears to be a major problem in South Africa. However, optimistic views of the potential for Chinese firms to contribute to industrialization in the region appear over-optimistic. The chapter also includes case studies of the impact of China’s economic involvement in Angola, Ethiopia, and South Africa, which represent three different types of Sino-African relations.


Author(s):  
Rhys Jenkins

By way of conclusion, this chapter focusses on two issues. The first is how China’s relations with Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are likely to be affected in the future by recent changes in the Chinese economy and its internationalization. Since 2012, the Chinese economy has been characterized by a ‘New Normal’ of slower economic growth and a rebalancing of the economy towards increased domestic consumption and less reliance on investment and exports. China also launched the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative in 2013, which seeks to link China with other Asian countries and Europe through major investment projects. The second issue concerns the continuing tensions that derive from the asymmetric economic relations between China and the two regions and whether steps will be taken to resolve them.


Author(s):  
Rhys Jenkins

The chapter documents the growth of economic relations between China and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), focussing on trade, foreign direct investment, Chinese construction and engineering projects, loans, and aid. The chapter highlights the way in which these are sometimes combined in resources-for-infrastructure deals. It shows the variety of different actors involved in these relationships, including state and non-state actors, on both the Chinese and African sides. It then discusses the role of strategic diplomatic, strategic economic, and commercial objectives in the growing Chinese involvement in SSA. It also addresses questions of African agency and the interests of African actors in economic relations with China. The impact of political, strategic economic and commercial factors on different types of economic relations is then analyzed econometrically.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-03
Author(s):  
Claribel Pazos

Teenage pregnancy is a global health problem. The beginning of sexual life at an earlier age has an impact on the increase in sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, and the number of single mothers. Each year approximately 2 million adolescents under the age of 15 become pregnant and an estimated 16 million girls between the ages of 15 and 19 give birth, 95% of these births occur in developing countries. Adolescent births as a percentage of all births range from around 2% in China to 18% in Latin America and the Caribbean. The global rate of adolescent pregnancy is estimated at 46 births for every 1,000 girls and of the same Thus, the rate for Latin America corresponds to 66.5 births per 1,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19, ranking second worldwide, only surpassed by Sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the second leading cause of death among women 15-19 years of age worldwide.


1988 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-34
Author(s):  
Leongard Goncharov ◽  
C.S. Whitaker

Another critical problem for Africa, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa is that of desertification. The crisis of desertification in the Sahel and other dryland regions of Africa increases exponentially, that is, its effects are incrementally debilitating. Each year of delay in dealing with this problem in an effective way, using available technology and resources, moves the problem further beyond our capacity to handle it. Furthermore, desertification has many direct and indirect effects on, among others, food production, land use, transport, housing, and weather patterns, further compounding the problem. The scale of the problem is enormous, and neither African governments nor international organizations organizations have mounted an effective response. The problem of desertification in Africa is, however, to a great extent, a tale of opportunities missed. The application of existing technology and resources has encountered obstacles and resistance, while potential resources have failed to materialize.


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