Contributions from Carin Zissis
A Brazilian delegation headed to Beijing this week to sign over a dozen deals, including a $10 billion energy pact. In recent weeks, new trade figures show China surpassed the United States as Brazil's main trading partner. The two countries also began investigating whether to drop the dollar as their bilateral trading currency.
Speaking at COA's Washington Conference, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos, and Mexico's Finance Secretary Agustín Carstens joined others in discussing policy issues affecting the hemisphere.
Venezuela took steps to nationalize assets of dozens of oil-service companies, expanding the state firm's control of the oil industry. Caracas faces declining revenues resulting from a global oil price slump.