The Rentierism of Latin American Elites in the Face of Chinese Financing

Francisco-Villarreal J. · Apuntes del Cenes (2025) · DOI: 10.19053/uptc.01203053.v44.n80.2025.19113

Resumen

This article examines how the rentier nature of Latin American élites, including industrial ones, has customarily hindered the region’s development, which is defined as progress that goes beyond mere speculation or extraction. In this regard, the relationship between the Latin American region, as a periphery, and the center, which in recent years has been represented by China, is analyzed. The method employed is based on a qualitative and explanatory design, which updates the theories of Latin American structuralism based on the most recent findings in the field for the region. In this vein, we examine the nature of the so-called “Dutch disease” in the subcontinent, which will bring huge amounts of foreign currency to Latin American economies due to their indebtedness or cycles of high commodity prices. However, given the rentier status of such élites, this currency would not be channeled toward the promotion of productive investments. It is worth mentioning that, although industrial promotion in Latin America can be complex and difficult due to technological gaps with the center, this should not prevent the region’s governments and élites from integrating their production into the highest-value links in global production chains. © (2025), (Universidad Pedagogica y Tecnologica de Colombia). All rights reserved.

Instituciones: Universidad Continental