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China, the EU and Latin America : current issues and future cooperation
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AFormatinSearchofSubstance AnOverviewofRelationsbetweentheEUandLatinAmericainaEuropeanPerspective 09 enlargetheirrangeofexportsfortheChinesemarketinsuchawayastoexpand theirmanufacturingcapacities. Alongsideimmediateeconomicinterests theexpectationthatexpanding tradewithChinawillattractmoreinvestmenttotheregionandleadtointensified noneconomiccooperationalsoplaysaroleforLatinAmerica.FromtheLatin Americanperspective relationswithChinashouldnotonlyhelptointegratethe regionininternationalraw materialsmarkets butalsoensurethatChinais permanentlytiedinto Latin Americasdevelopmenteffortsin trade cooperationnexus thatwouldgeneratecooperationoverandabovethecurrent tradingrelationshipandopenupajointdimensioninthedesignandorganization ofdevelopmentprojects.Thatwouldallowfurtherdiversificationawayfromthe UnitedStatesandEuropeanUnioninthisfield too. ChinasarrivalonthescenehascausedworrynotonlyintheUSCongress theEUisalsoconcernedaboutthemodalitiesofChinaspresenceintheregion. Theredoesnotappeartobearealdevelopmentalinterestwhichwouldbevery importantfortheregion insome ways the nonconditionality ofChinese cooperationhasraiseddoubtsaboutitscommercialinterests insome way parallelingtheexperienceswithChinaspresenceinAfrica. Ultimately LatinAmericaiscompetinginternationallyforEuropeanforeign directinvestment whichisincreasinglyflowingnotto Latin Americabutto China largelyduetothehighgrowthratesthere.Thissourceofcapitalis indispensablefortheregioninview ofitslow domesticsavingsratesandis absolutelycrucialforcountries suchasBrazil thatcontinuetosufferfroma veryhighlevelofdebt.Thedecisivefactor willprobably be whether Latin Americasucceedsinofferingbetteraccessandguaranteesofgoodgovernanceand stabilitythanitsAsianrival. SinoLatinAmericantradeflowshavebeenexpandingatahighratesince 2000 andthereisnootherregioninwhichLatinAmericaregisterssuchhigh growthrates:thevolumeofforeigntradewithChinarosefrom $2.4billionin 1991to$12.6billionin2000 beforereaching$40billionin2004.Altogether ChinasshareofLatinAmericanforeigntradehasrisenfrom1.2to4percent althoughtheincreaseisconcentratedinjustafewcountries includingBrazil Mexico ChileandArgentina ), whilethecompositionhasshiftedsomewhatfrom agriculturaltomineralproducts.Labourintensiveproductsmakeup86.3per centofChinasexportstoLatinAmerica whileexportsintheoppositedirection are76.1percentraw materialsand23.9percentindustrialgoods.North AmericanFree Trade Agreement NAFTA member Mexico whichexports primarilyelectronicstoChina mustberegardedasaspecialcase.Thevolumeof