In July, Chinese President Xi Jinping will make his first visit to Brazil to attend the sixth BRICs summit. The trip takes place as China’s economic presence in Latin America continues to grow. COA’s Eric Farnsworth spoke with CCTV about the geopolitical significance of the Asian country’s influence in the region. “China is much more interested now not just in bringing materials out of Latin America and the Western Hemisphere, but also in investing in the growing middle class markets in the region,” Farnsworth said, noting China’s increasingly dynamic role. He also discussed how the China-Latin America relationship reflects a changing role for the United States in the Americas. 

The Vice Minister of Trade, Industry, and Tourism Claudia Candela gave a presentation about key characteristics of Colombia in relation to other countries in Latin America. She provided an overview of numbers from the Colombian economy and tourism, as well as perceptions about the country in the international community. 

Speaker:

• Claudia Candela, Vice Minister of Trade, Industry, and Tourism

Read a blog post about the minister's remarks.

At the 2014 Bogota conference, Trade Minister Santiago Rojas shared insight about the country's trade strategy. Through FTAs, Colombia has opened markets to nearly 1.5 billion consumers, said Rojas. Nevetheless, he added, it needs to diversify its exports and markets.