Here’s an easy explanation for the countries Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited last month. Using ECLAC data, we constructed a graph tracing the past 20 years of exports from South America to China as a percentage of their total exports. In this light, it’s not surprising that those are the same four countries the Chinese premier visited last month. What may be telling too is that the countries often associated with China’s presence in the region, such as Venezuela and Argentina, represent far less of China’s share of imports from the region. Sure, the Premier visited several of those countries last year, but the numbers and the recent trip raise a question: is a shift in China’s attention in the region underfoot.
