great power competition

Mexico, amidst the trade war between the great powers

Mié, 12/11/2024 - 15:54 -- jdiaz

Mexico is the second-largest economy in Latin America. It has a deep-rooted relationship with the United States through the T-MEC, now affected by the U.S. announcement of unilateral tariffs. It benefits from preferential access to the U.S. market, which has allowed it to export manufactured goods, automobiles, and agricultural products at the cost of importing all the inputs from China to export these products to the North. In the context of the trade war between Washington and the Red Dragon, the tariffs against Mexico prevent Chinese brand products manufactured in the country from entering its market without tariffs. The Aztec country has sought to diversify its relations by exploring trade agreements with other countries and strengthening Asian investment in strategic sectors for domestic purposes. Given the growing importance of the Asian giant in the country, Washington has pressured its southern neighbour to take measures against China, both in terms of tariffs and investment restrictions, considering them a possible risk to U.S. national security. Such policies limit Mexican growth and productive diversification. This article analyses the presence of the Asian giant in trade and investments in the Aztec country and the limits to this relationship due to its alignment with its northern neighbour.

The New Global Financial Order

Vie, 11/29/2024 - 15:12 -- jdiaz

For two decades, China has been transforming its domestic financial architecture into a part of the new international financial architecture, opening the door to a new global order. China's issuance of sovereign bonds in 2024 in Dubai is a significant development. It challenges the narrative that China wants to de-dollarise the world. In its place, it introduces a new order in which the dollar plays a different role. The fact that the U.S. has held the top currency position allowed them to finance their huge deficits despite their poor macroeconomic data, as the world's international reserves are held in U.S. treasury bonds (T-bonds). It has now changed.

Brazil, electric vehicle production and Great Power Competition

Lun, 10/28/2024 - 15:54 -- gramirez

The competition in the global electric car (EV) industry has intensified since 2022, with the US and Europe on one side and China on the other. This competition is not just about market dominance but also about the control of supply chains, which is a crucial aspect of the EV industry. Brazil's potential is also clear. The Amazonian country is moving away from the US sphere of influence and approaching that of the Red Dragon through technological and industrialisation projects. It is thus becoming the port of entry for electric transport in LA, which comes from China but will be produced domestically.

Latin America and the change of energy matrix

Mar, 10/15/2024 - 22:10 -- gramirez

The change in the energy matrix represents a profound transformation in energy production and consumption, a change that is not just necessary but urgent. This transition, which was agreed upon on 4 November 2016 with the Paris Agreement, is a significant milestone in international cooperation and is based on renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass.

Transportation competition in Latin America: America for the Asians

Dom, 09/08/2024 - 20:48 -- jdiaz

The trade war between the great powers, the US and China, which began in 2016 under former President Trump and later under Biden, has exposed the loss of US competitiveness, especially in the transport industries, such as the automotive and aeronautics sectors. Chinese companies dominate new industries related to electric cars (EVs), while in conventional combustion cars (CA), the leaders are Asian (mostly Japanese) and German.

Argentina, the Chinese swap and power competition.

Dom, 09/01/2024 - 18:14 -- gramirez

In the early 1970s, Argentina joined a group of Latin American countries, including Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Venezuela, that initiated diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. The change of course in Argentine foreign policy, which until then had exclusively recognised Taiwan, marked the beginning of a new era in bilateral relations and regionalised a process of opening up to Asia.

THE US AND IMPORT-SUBSTITUTION INDUSTRIALISATION IN GREAT-POWER COMPETITION

Jue, 07/11/2024 - 21:14 -- jdiaz

Evidence shows that the US needs to catch up with China regarding technology. A list by Professor Allison of Harvard University in a book published by the Aspen Institute in 2020 shows seven sectors lagging. In January 2024, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute published a report detailing the lag in 9 sectors and 64 sub-sectors. In response, President Trump's administration placed tariffs on products of Chinese origin starting from March 2018. President Biden extended it and designed an import substitution policy to catch up with the leader.

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