This chapter argues that China’s incorporation of Latin America into its internationalized development strategy stems from China’s need for resources from emerging economies to sustain its domestic development, but this has highlighted the stark differences in institutional strength between LAC countries. To bear this claim out, the author examines the history of China-LAC commercial relations, as well as the similarities and differences between China’s developmental path and that of other East Asian Developmental States. Based upon three developmental themes, the author delineates six of China’s strategic partners in the region into three case studies: first, the free trade agreements pursued by Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru; second, the institutional resource curse suffered by Argentina and Brazil; and finally, the FDI export–led industrialization strategy adopted by Mexico. The countries in the first two case studies have built tighter economic ties with China, opening up more space for policymaking and innovation, while Mexico in the final case study has had less export-led trade with China and comparatively weaker economic growth.