China's Economic Expansion into South America

Chinäs expansion into the developing world is a recent development with global implications. In regards to Chinäs expansion much attention has been paid to its actions in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and to a lesser extent Latin America. Considering that Latin America has long been seen by the United States as being under its sphere of influence, combined with the fact that Chinäs bilateral trade with Latin America has expanded at a faster pace than any other region in the world, makes Chinäs rapid expansion a surprising occurrence. This thesis focuses in-depth on the question of how and why China has been able to become Latin Americäs second largest trading partner in less than a decade of serious engagement.