EAST ASIAN COOPERATION APPROACHES TOWARDS LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

THE CASES OF JAPAN, CHINA, AND SOUTH KOREA

Abstract

This paper analyzes and compares the development cooperation approaches promoted by Japan, China, and South Korea toward the Latin American and Caribbean region in the post 2015 period. The study applies the analytical frameworks of Lancaster (2007) — institutions, ideas, interests, and organizations — and Kragelund (2019) — vectors— relying on qualitative analysis of primary and secondary sources. The findings indicate that, while each country's cooperation approach has its own features — for instance, Japan and South Korea are OECD members, whereas China is a practitioner of South-South cooperation — all three prioritize financial cooperation over other forms of engagement.