Introduction

Rising Chinese wealth and international projection provokes significant economic and geopolitical changes in recent decades. This is particularly true for peripheral and semiperipheral countries such as those in Latin America and the Caribbean. Current literatures on Chinese relations with Latin America and the Caribbean are dominated by pollyannish expectations of simplicity or pessimistic predictions of conflict and collapse. We argue that room for positive outcomes in development, peace, and equity are possible through cooperative relations among Latin American countries and between the United States and China. To advance this argument, we draw attention to the methodological leverage obtained with attention to three elements: Chinese economic and policy development, variations across the countries and subregions of Latin America and the Caribbean, and key historical and sectoral characteristics of Chinese engagement.