“Where China is most heavily investing in Latin America”, 15^th May 2019

…Since 2005, China has poured over $141 billion in loans into the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. This is more than lending from the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the CAF Development Bank of Latin America combined. China is also working to bring its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to expand overseas investment by building infrastructure for land and sea routes across the world, to the region. It also purports to help developing countries improve their infrastructure and capitalize on trade opportunities with China, although critics say it will inadvertently put small or weak economies under unsustainable debt burdens. Many of the projects supported by the BRI focus on sectors and areas that have significant impact on the environment and indigenous communities. Right now, of the $141 billion China has invested into Latin America, 90 percent has been directed to four countries; Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador and Argentina…It’s no mystery that Latin America in large part, is in need of an infrastructure overhaul…China’s investments and trade agreements mean better conditions for citizens and a stronger economy, but also leave countries dealing with huge sums of debt…