M. E. Rebecca Ray (editor) - China and sustainable development in Latin America : the social and environmental dimension

The Anthem Frontiers of Global Political Economy series seeks to trigger and attract new thinking in global political economy, with particular reference to the prospects of emerging markets and developing countries. Written by renowned scholars from different parts of the world, books in this series provide historical, analytical and empirical perspectives on national economic strategies and processes, the implications of global and regional economic integration, the changing nature of the development project, and the diverse global-to-local forces that drive change. Scholars featured in the series extend earlier economic insights to provide fresh interpretations that allow new understandings of contemporary economic processes.

China and Sustainable Development
in Latin America

The Social and Environmental
Dimension

Edited by

Rebecca Ray, Kevin Gallagher, Andrs Lpez
and Cynthia Sanborn

This edition first published in UK and USA 2017

2017 Boston University, Centro de Investigacion para la Transformacion, Universidad del Pacifico and Tufts University; individual chapters individual contributors

The moral right of the authors has been asserted.

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This title is also available as an e-book.

CONTENTS

Figures

Tables

Rebecca Ray, Kevin Gallagher, Andrs Lpez and Cynthia Sanborn

Introduction

Latin Americas recent commodity boom was associated with a sharp increase in social and environmental risks. The boom was largely driven by trade and investment with China and concentrated in the petroleum, mineral extraction and agricultural sectors sectors strongly linked to environmental degradation and social conflict. With some notable exceptions, Latin American governments have fallen short of mitigating these risks and costs of the boom. While China should not be blamed for the bulk of Latin Americas environmental and social problems, it would be wise to mitigate the impacts of its overseas activities to maintain good relations with host countries and to reduce the risks of international investment. Some Chinese firms have demonstrated an ability to adhere to best practices in these arenas, but overall, thus far, they lack the experience or policies to manage their impacts in the region. As the boom tapers off and Latin American economies slow down, there is increasing pressure on governments to streamline approvals for new export and investment projects, and to ignore civil society organizations working to hold governments and foreign firms accountable. It is in the interests of the Latin American and Chinese governments, as well as Chinese firms, to put in place adequate social and environmental policies to maximize the benefits and mitigate the risks of Chinas economic activity in Latin America.