China and Sustainable Development in Latin America

Abstract

The English version of this paper can be found at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2016680

China’s growing economic engagement with Latin America has sparked both popular and scholarly debate. Some scholars contend that China is a rising imperial power scouring the globe for natural resources, exploiting less powerful nations, and rejecting international environmental agreements that would curb its profligate consumption of the world’s natural resources. Others applaud China’s unorthodox development strategies and portray China as a model worthy of emulation. This article interrogates both narratives and examines the environmental and developmental implications of China’s rise for Latin America. The article discusses China's bilateral trade and investment agreements with Latin American nations and China's potential contributions to sustainable development law.

Notes: Downloadable document is in Chinese.

Keywords: environment, sustainable development, natural resources, natural resource curse, law and development, WTO, International Trade Law, climate change, Washington consensus, Beijing Consensus, International Environmental Law, imperialism, colonialism, post-colonialism, bilateral investment treaties

JEL Classification: F02, F13, F18, F54, K32, K33, K42, N46, N56, Q27, Q33, Q34, Q56, Y30