Why South America now does all its business with China: US companies, investors are dumb and lazy

In the past twenty years, China has become the leading trade partner for most of the countries in South America. This is despite strong overtures by Latin America for increased trade and stronger ties with North America and Western Europe.

China has poured hundreds of billions of dollars of Foreign Direct Investment into South America. China's Belt and Road Initiative involved large upgrades to South American ports, rail, and logistics systems, and dozens of Chinese companies invested heavily into factories and smart cities.

In contrast, the American government has shunned taxpayer-subsidized loans and investment, because most of South America are too wealthy to qualify as charity cases.

But Wall Street, private equity, and major US engineering firms are also, strangely, staying home instead of bidding on these multi-billion dollar construction jobs. And American companies are also pulling back and out of South America, even as the region is experiencing a major boom in household incomes and middle class growth.


Resources and links:

Substack, for video transcripts and direct links
https://open.substack.com/pub/kdwalms...

Wall Street Journal, How China Capitalized on U.S. Indifference in Latin America
https://www.wsj.com/world/china-xi-ji...

Dialogo Americas, China to Proceed with Fourth Bridge over Panama Canal
https://dialogo-americas.com/articles...

National Geographic, A 100 years old today, the Panama Canal is about to get a lot bigger
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/hi...

Rare historical photos and archives, Panama Canal, 1881-1914
https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/pana...

Huawei company page, TIM Brasil and Huawei Sign MoU to Transform Curitiba into the Country's First '5G City'
https://www.huawei.com/en/news/2022/3...

BYD raises expected investment in Bahia plant to R$5.5bn
https://valorinternational.globo.com/...

Wall Street Journal, As Exxon Pumps Guyana’s Oil, China Is Winning Battle for Influence
https://www.wsj.com/world/as-exxon-pu...

Closing scene, Gaobei Island and abalone farms, Putian city, Fujian