Juan E. Pardinas, If there is a new Cold War, China already won

For decades, Washington viewed the Global South as its uncontested sphere of influence. The U.S. dominated trade, finance, and security ties, while China was a relatively minor player. However, within twenty years, China has displaced the U.S. on many fronts. Fueling commodities booms and reshaping entire value chains, China has become the top trading partner for most of Latin America’s largest economies and almost all African countries, the primary buyer of soy, copper, oil, and lithium, and a builder of critical infrastructure, ranging from ports to 5G networks throughout the region. How did Beijing expand its economic footprint worldwide? In what other ways is Beijing’s influence experienced? What are the political implications of this massive geopolitical change? In this talk, Juan E. Pardinas, the former executive editor of Reforma, the largest newspaper in Mexico, will discuss Beijing’s presence and influence in Latin America and Africa. He will argue that we are vastly underestimating the extent to which Beijing has already surpassed the U.S. in terms of economic and soft power. Drawing on his experience at the helm of Reforma during years of rising violence in Mexico, extreme political polarization, and the erosion of checks and balances on executive power, the speaker will reflect on how China is shaping new arenas of global competition.

This event is Co-Sponsored by the Council of Latin American & Iberian Studies, Council on African Studies Program on Ethics, Politics & Economics