What is Resource Intensity (of Exports)

After decades of limited contact, China's influence in Latin America has soared in the early part of the 21st century. China's presence in Latin America holds potential for transforming regional economies in positive and negative ways. This chapter describes Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Latin America, explores its implications, and tests whether Chinese FDI differs from global FDI in Latin America regarding corruption and resource intensity. It finds that Chinese FDI is more closely associated with countries that are more resource-abundant and are ranked as more corrupt. This could have negative implications for Latin American countries and their development as China expands.