{"id":50036342,"date":"2020-07-14T15:42:21","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T14:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.dialogochino.net\/?p=36342"},"modified":"2023-03-13T21:37:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T21:37:55","slug":"36342-mapping-chinese-investments-south-american-soy-and-beef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/business\/36342-mapping-chinese-investments-south-american-soy-and-beef\/","title":{"rendered":"Mapping Chinese interests in South American soy and beef"},"content":{"rendered":"

By any measure, global trade has had to weather some unusually severe storms in recent years. Even before the devastating coronavirus outbreak<\/a>, which has seen commerce slump to a four-year low<\/a>, according to the World Trade Organisation, US\u2013China tensions<\/a> slowed activity and hit investor confidence.<\/p>\n

Events such as the trade spat and an outbreak of African swine flu<\/a> in China have combined to realign relationships, strengthening in particular the China\u2013Brazil agriculture trade, which somehow seems immune to the pandemic.<\/p>\n

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5.9%<\/p>\n

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\nthe growth in Brazilian beef exports to China in the first quarter of 2020
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Brazil\u2019s agricultural exports to the Chinese market in the first quarter increased 5.9% compared to the same period last year. China accounted for three quarters of Brazil\u2019s soy and half of its beef exports, the Brazilian Department of Trade and International Relations reported in May. The figures represent record highs.<\/p>\n

While the global political and economic outlook may be volatile, the survival of the China\u2013South America agriculture trade attests to stable Chinese demand. And this is supported by major investments from both public and private Chinese investors in logistics<\/a> and other industries involved in the supply chain.<\/p>\n

The roaring trade may be good news for agribusiness, but surging sales and investment in associated infrastructure carry big risks<\/a> for vulnerable South American biomes the Amazon, Cerrado and Chaco \u2013 vital stores of carbon. Brazil is not the only country in the region that has grown or established trades in agricultural commodities with China since the turn of the century. Argentina, Uruguay and Bolivia have too.<\/p>\n

A new interactive map by Di\u00e1logo Chino<\/em> shows where and what stage in the supply chain Chinese investors have increased their presence in South America\u2019s soy and beef industries since 2009. It plots projects financed by China\u2019s policy banks, foreign direct investment, and loans from the China-led New Development Bank. The map draws on existing data compiled by the Inter-American Dialogue and Boston University<\/a> and the China-Latin America Academic Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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