DESPLIEGUE DEL PODER BLANDO CHINO EN AMÉRICA LATINA Y RECEPCIÓN EN LOS PAÍSES DE LA REGIÓN

The concept of soft power has become very relevant in International Relations. Typically associated with the US, in recent years China has also promoted its own soft power, reaching out to Latin America. After reviewing the difficulties in agreeing on a definition of the term, this research looks at the phenomenon from a dual perspective: on the one hand, it analyses the deployment of Chinese soft power in the region; on the other, it assesses the response of Latin American countries to it. It explains that, while China uses a broad definition of the soft power it applies in the region and links it primarily to aspects of its domestic policy, the reception of Latin American governments makes it dependent on this variable: although they all welcome China's economic offensive and draw closer to the Asian giant, the way in which they react to it is conditioned by the stance they maintain towards the US.