The report seeks to provide recommendations to promote balanced debate on the presence of Chinese companies and investment in Chile
A recent study published by the Millennium Nucleus ICLAC analyzes the challenges and controversies concerning the presence of Chinese companies in Chile. The document focuses on two emblematic cases: the purchase of CGE by the Chinese state company State Grid and the revocation of the Civil Registry tender to the Chinese German company Aisino.
The paper questions pre-established conceptions and stereotypes that have been expressed in the debates related to these media cases, pointing out that much of the public discourse has focused on the idea of China as an economic and geopolitical threat to Chile: “This use equated with “Chinese company,” as well as the confluence of ideas that question the Chinese government, can contribute to the development of stereotypes about Chinese culture and arbitrary decisions” (p. 12).
The study concludes that both cases are representative of the complexity and sensitivity the presence of Chinese companies in Chilean territory generates and recommends the opening of rigorous debate on whether or not Chile should adopt a foreign investment control mechanism; and have greater clarity regarding the actors involved in foreign investment in Chile and avoiding differential treatment based on their origin; and finally recommends that these issues be addressed in a more objective way and without falling into stereotypes and/or prejudices.
The study, written by ICLAC researchers María Montt Strabucchi, Juan Enrique Serrano – Moreno and Carol Chan, is free, open and you can download it here.