On Monday , November 17th, the book launch of "Economic Displacement: China and the End of US Primacy in Latin America(Cambridge University Press) by Francisco Urdinez, professor at the UC Institute of Political Science and director of the Millennium Nucleus ICLAC, took place. The activity featured the participation of UC Vice Rector for International Affairs, María Montt, as moderator, and comments from the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gloria de la Fuente, and the director of the UC Institute of Political Science, Umut Aydin.
The event began with words from Valeria Palanza, Dean of the UC Faculty of History, Geography, and Political Science, who highlighted the relevance of the work's geoeconomic analysis for the region's future: "This book invites us to reflect on the destiny of smaller-scale economies, such as those mostly in Latin America, and what role our region plays, and mainly, what role Chile plays in this dispute."
The academic and also director of the UC Center for Asian Studies began his presentation by presenting the central thesis of his work: China's growth in Latin America has caused a phenomenon of "Economic Displacement" of the United States, which translates into a significant erosion of American political hegemony in the region.
To measure this transformation and the economic vacuum left by the US withdrawal between 2001 and 2020, the book proposes a metric to measure economic influence, which integrates the four dimensions of economic power: trade, credit, investments, and foreign aid.
The analysis revealed that Chinese economic presence increased 15 times in Latin America during this period: "If you look at it in terms of individuals, 6 out of 10 Latin Americans live in a country where China has economically displaced the United States", he emphasized.
Urdinez explained that this displacement does not respond to a centralized plan from Beijing, but to local demand and the Latin American countries' own agenda for alternative goods, such as financing in infrastructure and energy. He concluded his presentation by stating that the scenario of hegemonic rivalry puts the region's traditional position in check:
"A scenario of hegemonic rivalry and antagonism has been assumed, and how that puts countries that bet on a globalized world, like Chile, in a very uncomfortable position".
The activity continued with comments from Undersecretary Gloria de la Fuente, Director Umut Aydin, and Vice Rector María Montt, as well as questions and comments from the audience.
The book is now available for pre-order on the Cambridge University Press. The work, fundamental for understanding global geopolitical dynamics, offers a crucial analytical vision of the future of Sino-Latin American relations.