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Colombia, unlike other Latin American countries, was until recently almost immune to China’s penetration. However, this has changed significantly in recent years. According to data from the Bank of the Republic of Colombia, in 2022 direct investment from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) tripled in the Andean country. The increase in investment is largely due to the growing participation of Chinese companies in infrastructure projects — investment that come hand in hand with concerns about scandals and allegations that have marred Chinese infrastructure projects in the country.
At the heart of the matter is the Bogotá Metro, which tender was won by a Chinese consortium formed by two state-owned companies, China Harbour Engineering (CHEC) and Xi’an Metro Company. The project has already been fined for non-compliance and is under investigation for possible corruption; a situation exposed in the first part of this report. But this is not the only case. Other Chinese companies already leading important infrastructure projects in Colombia have also been subject to criticism and complaints. Here are three examples of some of the most questioned projects.
Academia
This article was originally published on Infobae on October 26, 2023. From October 22-25, 2023, I had the honor to be a speaker in an event on the relationships of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the U.S. with Latin America and the Caribbean. The event was hosted by the prestigious Latin America Center for China Studies (CELC) of the respected Andres Bello University in Santiago Chile, on the heels of Chilean President Gabriel Boric’s trip to the PRC for the 10th Annual Belt and Road forum, and an important bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping. In accepting [ … ]
This article was initially published in the Magazine Poder Terrestre y Seguridad Vol. 2 No. 4 (2023): October to December, of the Peruvian Army CEEP think tank Abstract The article presents the resumption of Iran’s relations with Latin America and the opportunities this offers for political and economic interaction. It highlights Iran’s acceptance into the BRICS during the organization’s summit in Johannesburg in 2023, which accelerated the reestablishment of Iran’s contacts with the international community. In addition, China’s role in its economic strengthening is mentioned, as well as its encouragement to Latin American and Caribbean governments to collaborate without concern [ … ]
This article was originally published in the Center for Strategic and International Studies on October 31, 2023. From September 24 to 28, the author traveled to Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic, as a guest of Funglode, one of the country’s leading think tanks, to speak about security challenges in the Caribbean. While there, he interacted with experts on a range of topics, including how the country’s relationship with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has evolved. Few of the high-profile Chinese infrastructure projects, investments and access to the PRC market promised when the previous government of Danilo Medina abandoned Taiwan [ … ]
The presence of the People’s Republic of China in Latin America is extremely dangerous for transparency and democratic institutional structure in the countries of the region due to China’s affinity with dictators and its willingness to make corrupt deals with politicians in Latin America, said Matt Schrader, International Republican Institute (IRI) advisor on Chinese affairs, in an interview with Expediente Público. Schrader was one of the topical experts at a forum on Chinese influence and interests in the world, coordinated by the International Republican Institute’s Center for Global Impact and held in Washington D.C. “I think the reason you need to [ … ]
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