China On The Ground In Latin America

China on the Ground in Latin America tells the story of the fundamental but little-discussed change in the nature of PRC engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean since 2009 as Chinese companies have begun to operate in the region. Author Evan Ellis provides an in-depth panorama of Chinese commercial activities across sectors from petroleum, mining, and agriculture to manufacturing, construction, and other services.

The book engagingly analyzes how this new physical presence is creating challenges for Chinese businesses - challenges that range from security challenges, to winning projects, to dealing with local laborers, communities, indigenous groups, and environmentalists. In China on the Ground in Latin America, Ellis expertly dissects the dilemma that the Chinese government faces regarding how to use its growing soft power and other instruments to protect its interests in the region in the context of its insistence on its respect for the internal affairs of its partners as sovereign countries.

Review: No other analyst has a better grasp of the growing role China plays in Latin America than Evan Ellis. This book is another contribution to our understanding of this complex and shifting relationship. A must read.' - Moises Naim, Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of The End of Power, USA 'Evan's book breaks important new ground by comprehensively analyzing a new stage which has followed the boom in bilateral trade: the recent sudden rise in the physical presence of the PRC firms in the region and the opportunities and risks that this presents for China, host Latin American countries, and third parties like the U.S.' - Robert Devlin, Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS), USA Evan has been arguably the most knowledgeable source on China's growing presence in Latin America for over a decade.

His new work takes the current understanding of this trend to a whole new level. No account of Latin America's economic prospects or of hemispheric relations can afford to ignore this stupendous piece of scholarship.' - Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary for Political Affairs, Organization of American States; Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Latin America Initiative, Brookings Institution, USA 'The most prolific scholar of PRC-LAC relations has provided a sophisticated and meticulously researched study on Beijing's physical presence in the Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ellis brilliantly examines the challenges and opportunities presented by the expansion of Chinese companies throughout the region. A one of a kind contribution to the field of PRC-LAC relations.' - Frank O. Mora, Director, Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University, USA