Konferenzband 
China, the EU and Latin America : current issues and future cooperation
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12 China theEUandLatinAmerica:CurrentIssuesandFutureCooperation handlingofthedrugproblem theLatinAmericanpositiononwhichconsistsof askingformoreactiontoreducedemandintheUSandEuropeatnationallevel. Atthe 犵犾狅犫犪犾犾犲狏犲犾 Latin America has discoveredin China new counterpartinitseffortstobroadenitsrangeofexportpartnersandtomatchits investmentinterests.ThishaschangedtheLatin Americanattitudetowards Europewhichisnolongertheonlydiversificationpartnerfortheregion apart fromthedominantrelationswiththeUS.Atthesametime thegovernmentsof LatinAmericahavestartedtosuspectthattheEuropeanUnionhasdecidedto sacrificeits strategic association with Latin Americaif otherimportant counterpartsatthegloballevelseemmorepromising. 2.6 PerspectivesandNewDynamics Traditionally commoninterestsandculturalvalueshavebeenseenasthebasisof therelationshipbetweentheEuropeanUnionandLatinAmerica.Withtheincreasing openinguptowardstheUSwayoflife thebondwithEuropeanculturalvalues anditsimportanceforpoliticalactionhasdiminished.Inconsequence theLatin Americanpartnershaveshownaninterestinreaddressingorevenquestioning currentpositionsandtodosodemonstrativelyatthegloballevel. Inthiscontext manypeople wouldalsoliketodiscussnew governance issues especiallytheimprovementofgovernmentsystems decentralisation processes publicprivatepartnershipsandthelike.Recognizingthatgovernance issuesareofgrowingimportancebeyondthenationallevel majorcountriesin LatinAmericahavebecomeleadersandprotagonistsintheprocessesofreformin internationalregimes.Thus theglobalagendaisofspecialinteresttothebigger countries suchasBrazil Argentinaand Mexico whicharetryingtostakea claimtobetheleadingcountriesintheregion.Inthiscontext thequestionof triangularrelations betweenthe US Europeand Latin America may be increasinginimportance whichuptonowhasnotattainedbroadacceptancein theregion.Ontheotherhand theLatinAmericangovernmentsareinterestedin developingtransatlanticrelationsinsucha waythatSouth Atlanticrelations mightonedayreachthesamelevelofintensityastheNorthAtlanticones.One majorstepinthisprocesscouldbethedevelopmentofcommonpositionson multilateralissuesininternationalpoliticsandinthiswaygiverisetosomesort ofEuroLatinAmericanallianceininternationalaffairs. MajorgroupsofLatinAmericanintellectualsstillcontinuetolookatEuropeas theirmajorsourceofinspirationandarethereforedrivenbythenecessitytorebuildthis relationship startingfrom commonvaluesandnorms.Thisfacthassignificant potentialintheefforttodevelopamorecoherentandsubstantialassociationnotonly