Keeping Up With the Neighbors? Analyzing Argentina's Attempts to Capitalize Upon China's Economic Growth

Abstract

China's increasing economic and political weight present both opportunities and challenges to Latin America. The Southern Cone countries of Argentina, Brazil and Chile stand to benefit more than their neighbors in the rest of the region. While a substantial amount of literature has explored China's increasing interest in Latin America, relatively little attention has been paid to what these countries are doing themselves to maximize their benefit from the opportunities presented by China's growth. This thesis analyzes the tools which Argentina, Brazil and Chile are employing in order to position themselves to take advantage of the situation. A comparison of policy objectives, bilateral agreements, engagement in multilateral institutions, diplomatic relations and the institutional structures of policy-making reveals significant differences among the three countries. Chile is found to be the most strategically positioned to benefit from China's growth in the long-term, with Brazil somewhat less so. A poorly defined policy toward China, exacerbated by miscoordination among relevant government agencies, means that Argentina is falling behind its neighbors in its ability to benefit from China's growth.