China’s Expansion in Latin America: Debates from Latin American International Political Economy

This article examines the principal debates in International Political Economy (IPE), particularly in Latin America, regarding China’s growing economic presence in the region. Through an exhaustive review of more than 90 documents published between 2004 and 2024, and using a system of co-citations, nodes, and connections between documents, the literature has been classified into three central approaches: Dependency, Complementarity/Interdependence, and Globalization with Chinese Characteristics (GCC). The results reveal a division in the debate. On the one hand, some focus on the traditional perspective of dependency, emphasizing trade with China and the trend toward reprimarization. On the other hand, some see opportunities for complementarity between the region and China, considering the comparative advantages of both actors. Finally, an ongoing debate considers thecurrent dynamics as a globalization with Chinese characteristics, and suggests a new form of cooperation, distinct from the precepts of Western hegemony. In conclusion, the article identifies some gaps in current debates, that could be crucial to understanding the evolution of Sino-Latin American relations, such as the learning process of Chinese actors, mainly companies and financial institutions, which could explain part of the changes of its behavior in the last decade.