China, Latin America, and the United States: The Political Economy of Energy Policy in the Americas.

This paper explores how China's economic expansion, U.S. interests, and Latin American economic and political demands intersect with regards to energy politics in the Americas. After briefly outlining China's meteoric rise and its corresponding increase in energy needs, we examine the PRC's recent moves in Latin American energy sectors. A number of Chinese-owned energy concerns have struck deals across a host of Latin American states and at first glance Chinese-U.S. conflict over the region's energy reserves may seem likely. However, we also find that the size and scope of these agreements is actually quite limited. Furthermore, the technical demands of extracting Latin American energy resources, the difficulties involved in transporting energy largely located near the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, the limits placed on foreign involvement in most Latin American states, and the region's politics all reduce China's ability to exploit the region's energy reserves. A final complicating factor for China is that her industrialization threatens manufacturing in a number of energy-producing states in the region. In short, while China's energy interests in Latin America have increased as of late, there are a plethora of factors that will likely prevent a significant Chinese presence for the foreseeable future. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]