China-latin America Military Engagement

The reemergence of China on the global stage is arguably one of the most important phenomena of our time. With its sustained high rates of economic growth, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has dra matically increased trade and investment flows with the rest of the world, including regions such as Latin America, with which it historically has had very little interaction. In many of these countries, the PRC has gone from having an almost negligible economic pres ence to replacing the United States as the number one or number two trading partner. Moreover, particular ly since the end of the global financial crisis, Chinese companies, in coordination with the Chinese govern-ment and banks, have begun to make multibillion dol lar loans and investments in Latin America, creating a rapidly expanding presence of Chinese companies and workers in the region in such sectors as construc tion, logistics, manufacturing, telecommunications, and retail. In terms of "soft power," the PRC has argu ably captured the imaginations of Latin American po litical leaders, businessmen, and students as a power meriting attention and, in some cases, courtship. While a great deal of attention has been given to Chinese commercial activity in Latin America, very little has been written in the open press regarding Chi nese military engagement with the region. While vis its by senior military leaders and major arms sales are reported in the Latin American press, there has been, to date, almost no detailed, comparative analysis of the PRC-Latin America military relationship. This is particularly striking, given the emphasis placed on military relationships in determining whether Chi nese engagement with the region constitutes a threat to U.S. national security interests. Dr. Evan Ellis of the Center for Hemispheric De fense Studies fills an important void in the burgeon ing literature regarding China's activities with Latin America. This monograph provides a detailed, re gion-wide analysis of PRC military engagement with Latin America, including not only arms sales, but also senior-level military visits, personnel exchanges, and activities of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the region, ranging from its 6-year participation in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces in Haiti, to its November 2010 humanitarian exercise in Peru, An gel de la Paz. The work leverages the extensive Spanish and English-language primary research by Dr. Ellis in the open source literature of the region, as well as off-the-record interviews with current and former Latin American military officers who have directly partici pated in the activities treated. Dr. Ellis explains that Chinese military activity in Latin America is far more extensive than is commonly recognized. At the same time, it also goes against con ventional wisdom by arguing that, in the short term, such activity does not seek to achieve formal alliances or a permanent military presence in the region, but rather to advance commercial and political objectives to include increasing China's understanding of, and influence within, Latin American governments. While the arguments of Dr. Ellis may be surprising to some, the monograph will undoubtedly serve as an important reference point for scholars from multiple perspectives: those following the rise of China, those studying Latin American security issues, students of international relations, and students of U.S. national security, among others. In the course of these expanding interactions, the PRC has emphasized the "peaceful nature" of its in teractions, which have profound implications not only for the world's economy, but for its security environ ment as well. The growth of China has played out dif ferently in each region.