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Article: China's Latin leap forward.(Latin America )
- Article from:
- World Policy Journal
- Article date:
- September 22, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 World Policy Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In fall 2004, the president of China, Hu Jintao, embarked upon a trip to Latin America that sometimes seemed more a coronation than a diplomatic offensive. In Brazil, Chile, Cuba, and Argentina, Hu was received with the highest honors of a state guest, while local legislators battled to hold receptions for him and for the delegation of Chinese businesses searching for new investments in the region. Latin businesspeople hosted Hu at barbeques and welcomed him into their factories. Latin leaders recognized China as a market economy, one of Beijing's major goals, and lavished praise on Hu, with the Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, announcing, "We want a ...