China's Rising Influence in Global Energy Markets

In the last 25 years, China has gone from providing less than 2 percent of Latin America’s exports to being the second largest trade partner for the region and the single biggest trade partner of South America. This skyrocketing trade relation comes on the back of China’s ambitious Belt and Road global infrastructure initiative, and gives Beijing enormous influence in critical emerging markets.  In addition to trading goods, China is also a key lender in Latin America, particularly in the context of providing funding for energy…