Xi Strengthens Ties With Latin America

By 2012, China was a bigger trading partner than the US to 128 countries, while the US was ahead in 72 – a reversal from seven years ago when the US was ahead in 124 nations and China in 70. President Xi Jinping, unlike his predecessors, is broadening Chinese focus on a range of practical matters around the globe, reports Yu Bing for the Washington Post, and this includes strengthening ties with Latin America, where the US is still the biggest trading partner. His promises included $4 billion in loans, $3 billion of which would go to Caribbean countries like Trinidad & Tobago, and significant increases in imports. The latter was welcomed by Mexico, which runs a large deficit with China while competing with the nation as a manufacturer. – YaleGlobal