Emerging economic actors in the South American economic scenario: China - Southeast Asia and Argentina since 2007.2

Abstract

Our aim in this paper is to analyze China’s and Southeast Asia presence in South America, and Argentina in particular. South America and China relations have shown a high level of trade complementarities. This phenomenon has occurred in parallel to a growing separation from the United States. China appeared as an alternative of international insertion for South America, mainly through the diversification of export destinies. But after a long decade, China’s approach to the South American region is reproducing asymmetrical bilateral relations, based on trade disparities rebuilding a centre-periphery scheme. In the case of Argentina, the links with SEA have unexplored potentialities for a more diversified international insertion that can be developed along with a South- South cooperation strategy, as a mean to reduce dependence from major trade partners. As we also argue in the article, this partner’s diversification has not been accompanied by a product diversification, instead we observe a higher degree of export concentration in the Argentinean side, reinforcing the agricultural-export model.