In the past decade, Chinese investment into Latin America has so often been characterised by large infrastructure projects: roads, railways, dams and ports, among others, frequently backed by state finance, and in many countries arriving under the banner of the Belt and Road Initiative. But in recent years, the nature of this investment has begun to change.
While China continues to look to its Latin American partners for markets and key resources, it is now Chinese companies, rather than its lenders, that are the main protagonists of investment, with a focus on new technology sectors.