Double Handshake

The Atlantic has published a nice dispatch by Paul Starobin recounting his lunch with China’s ambassador to Chile, Liu Yuqin. Over the “eight course, two-hour affair,” Starobin and Liu play cat and mouse over China’s intentions in Latin America. One excerpt:

I asked if Chileans should be concerned about the Chinese succeeding the Spanish and the Americans as the new imperialists of South America. “It’s not like China comes in to ransack this country of its raw materials—China pays for these raw materials,” she noted evenly. When I pointed out that a union of Chilean copper workers had taken a stand against China’s bid to become an owner of the Gaby mine, she said, “As in all families, brothers can have an argument.”

That type of answer is about par for the course. It’s disappointing but non entirely surprising that Starobin can’t draw Liu into any firmer answers than ones like the above. He asks a number of good questions, ranging from China’s take on the Monroe Doctrine to prospects for China-Chile military exchanges in the future. Despite the article’s title: “China’s Copper Road,” the conversation strays far from the usual China’s-hunger-for-commodities coverage, which is refreshing.

It’s a colorful lunch and well worth your time.