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In the seventh episode of the Coffee and Silk podcast we talk to Thiago de Aragão, a specialist in geopolitical affairs with focus on China-Latin America relations. He is Director of Strategy at Arko Advice, Associate Researcher at the Institut de Relations Internationales et Strategiques (France) and co-editor and co-host of the Brazilian Politics Podcast.
In our discussion, Aragão talks about the interests of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) with special emphasis on Brazil. De Aragão argues that the main objective of the Asian country is to generate an unbreakable dependence with the countries of the region. Furthermore, he emphasizes the need to differentiate between “commercial” and “economic” dependence, concepts that he defines based on some specific cases in the region. De Aragão also explains how the private sector contributes to this framework of dependency, as it can influence the formulation of friendly policies between both countries, given its need for Chinese products and services. Likewise, the conversation delves into the current state of Sino-Brazilian relations and China’s use of technology as a softpower tool.
Recommendations:
Te-Ping Chan (2021) Land of Big Numbers. (Ed. Mariner Books)