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China, the EU and Latin America : current issues and future cooperation
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ANewLookattheTriangulationbetweentheEU ChinaandLatinAmerica 95 3.犆犺犻狀犪犔犪狋犻狀犃犿犲狉犻犮犪狀犚犲犾犪狋犻狅狀狊 NomatterwhofirstlandedintheAmericas provencontactsbetweenChina andLatinAmericacanbedatedbacktothe1570s whenSinoLatinAmerican tradestartedtoflourishacrossthePacific. Via Manila Chinaexportedsilk porcelainandcottonyarntoMexicoandPeru inexchangeforsilvercoinsand otheritems.Inthemiddleofthenineteenthcentury peasantsfromsouthern ChinawenttoSouthAmericaandtheCaribbeanas contractlabourers working inminesandplantations. AfterthePeoplesRepublicofChinawasfoundedin1949 afew Latin Americancountriessoughtdiplomaticrelations.DuetoUSopposition however theireffortsdidnotmaterialise. ThevictoryoftheCubanRevolutionin1959attractedimmediatemoraland politicalsupportfrom China.CubawasthefirstLatinAmericancountryto recognisethenewChina.ChinawasthereforereadytosupportCubainreturn. InSeptember1960 ChinesePremierZhouEnlaitoldFidelCastro: ifnecessary ChinawillfurnishallnecessaryassistancetotheCubanpeopleintheirfightfor freedom. Zhang1995:91 On15December1970 ChilebecamethefirstSouthAmericancountryto establishdiplomatictieswithChina.AfterUSPresidentNixonmadehishistoric visittoBeijingin1972 manyLatinAmericancountriesstartedtochangetheir attitudestowardsChinaandevenexpressedtheirinterestindevelopingrelations withit.The1970switnessedtheestablishmentofdiplomaticrelationsbetween ChinaandmorethantenLatinAmericancountries. UndertheleadershipofDengXiaoping Chinastartedtoimplementreform andopendoorpoliciesin1978.TheimageofChinainLatinAmericachanged veryquickly.Inthe1980sand1990s anotherten Latin Americancountries establisheddiplomaticrelations with China.Cooperationandcontactsinthe economic politicalandculturalareasproceededsteadily. In November2004 ChinesePresident HuJintaovisited Latin America followedbyVicePresidentZengQinghonginearly2005 onlytwomonthslater. Thiskindoffrequentvisithappenedagainduring2008and2009.PresidentHu JintaowenttoLatinAmericainNovember2008andVicePresidentXiJinping followedinearly2009.Incontemporaryinternationalrelations noothercountry haseversenttopleaderstoLatinAmericawithsuchahighfrequency. Between2001and2008 bilateraltradebetweenChinaandLatinAmerica increasedalmosttenfold.In November2005 China signed afreetrade agreement FTA withChile.Asamatteroffact thefirstcountrywithwhich