Chinese Export Promotion Policies Toward Latin America: The Belt and Road Initiative

Abstract

China has become the main trading partner for most Latin American economies, on the one hand, due to the growth in natural resources imports, and on the other, as a supplier of final consumption and industrial goods. During the last years, this participation has not only grown in aggregated terms, but China has also been able to develop a more complex export matrix, increasing its participation in highly innovative and technological sectors. This is the result of the implementation of various policies, among which export promotion policies become fundamental for its development. The objective of this chapter is to understand how the Belt and Road Initiative has become a fundamental element within Chinese export promotion policies toward Latin America. As some BRI projects in the region have been stalled, the Digital Silk Road appears as an alternative to enhance export promotion through cooperation between China and the Latin American region.