Over the past decade China has become an important source of financing for several Latin American countries.. The bulk of this financing corresponded to state-owned development banks, but in recent years commercial banks from the Asian giant have become increasingly active in the region. Which Latin American country has been the largest recipient of loans from Chinese commercial banks?

ANSWER

Argentina. By far, this South American country has received the most financing from Chinese commercial banks, with 36 loans between 2007 and 2021, according to an analysis by the U.S. think tank Inter-American Dialogue. This phenomenon is largely explained by the significant presence of the Chinese commercial bank ICBC, which in 2012 acquired the Argentine subsidiary of the South African bank Standard Bank. After Argentina, Brazil is the country with the most loans, followed by Peru and Chile. You can see the Inter-American Dialogue report at

https://www.thedialogue.org/map_list/