CHINA AND LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN COOPERATION: OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE AND OTHER OFFICIAL FLOWS (2006-2016)

Abstract

The emergence of China as a donor has been one of the most important events in the international development cooperation scene in the last twenty years. While Chinese aid to Africa has been studied in detail, this article sets out to investigate China's aid to Latin America and the Caribbean. The amounts of aid and loans have grown significantly, in particular after the financial crisis of 2008, and are increasingly important in a region where the United States traditionally represents the hegemonic power. Using quantitative and qualitative data, the article explores the historical evolution of Chinese aid programs towards the region; the Official for Development Aid flows and Other Official Flows to the region; the motivations that drive China to cooperate with Latin America and the Caribbean, exploring in particular the issue of conditionalities. The article concludes that Chinese aid certainly represents an opportunity for the region in the short term, while for the long term it will be interesting to observe the ongoing development of China's identity as a donor through its new cooperation agency and his star project, the Belt and Road Initiative.

Keywords

• official development aid
• foreign aid
• chinese aid
• latin america and the caribbean
• international cooperation