The Americas | Boom or bust?

What does China’s reopening mean for Latin America?

The country’s post-covid rebound will be a boon for some countries, but not for all

Employees working at cargo ship Kypros Land which is loading soybeans to China at Tiplam terminal in Santos, Brazil, Merch 13, 2017.  Picture taken March 13, 2017.  REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker - RC149B91CC30
Image: Reuters
|Buenos Aires

For centuries Latin America’s economies have been characterised by short booms and sudden busts, often on the back of commodity cycles. When silver was discovered in the highlands of Bolivia in 1545, the village of Potosí briefly became one of the most densely inhabited places on Earth as it provided more than two-thirds of the world’s supply. A century later, with the mines depleted, it was a ghost town.

This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Boom or bust?”

From the January 21st 2023 edition

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