Chapter 10: An Evaluation of the Strategic Situation in Latin America
This essay was translated by JIANG Jun and proofread by HOU Songshan and WU Chengyi.
In the year 2016, Latin America suffered a multiplication of crises. In the aspect of politics, the pattern of left-wing domination had undergone major changes in several Latin American countries. In the aspect of economy, Latin America underwent the most severe economic crisis since the 2008–2009 international financial crisis, becoming the region with the slowest economic growth in the world. In the aspect of society, many countries were faced with very rampant drug trafficking, smuggling, illegal immigration, and violent crime, and the public security situation there was still grim. In the aspect of regional integration, the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) and the Bolivarian Alliance for the People of Our America (ALBA) both remained stagnant due to a lack of endogenous momentum. However, Latin American countries were working hard to extricate themselves from the predicament. The Sino-Latin America relationship, guided and promoted by President Xi’s third visit to Latin America, had been upgraded into a new stage.
