The basic theme of this book focuses on China's recent expanding engagement in the Western hemisphere and its impact on the political economy of Latin American nations as well as on the dominance of the USA in this region. In the opening chapters, Jiang Shixue and Xiang Lanxin analyse this theme from two categorically different perspectives: the former argues that following a “Going Global” strategy, China would like to co-operate with Latin American nations for mutual benefit on an equal basis; the latter stresses China's geopolitical thinking and insists that its activities in the region have been for the purpose of its own national economic interests and at the expense of the Latin America. Following the logic they present, the role of China in this region has been described as either that of a benign economic power or that of a malevolent one.

Is China a benign power in the Western hemisphere? All other six contributors agree that Chinese engagement in Latin America has been beneficial to nations there without challenging the dominance of, or taking provocative actions against, the US. In “A South-South Perspective,” Monica Hirst reveals that China promotes its engagement with Latin American nations through the participation of the multilateral forums advocating the causes of South–South co-operation for a new world order.

It is natural that the economic rise of China has set an example for third-world nations. While Joshua Kurlantzick and Chris Alden put forward the attraction of China's model of economic development and “Beijing consensus” to Southeast Asian and African nations, respectively, Robert Devlin specifically illustrates the demonstration effect of China's economic success on decision-makers in Latin America regarding the need to diversify and upgrade their exports.

Despite the advantage of Sino-Latin American co-operation in terms of trade and investment, the rise of China has resulted in some negative impact on Latin America. For example, Latin American nations have met stiff competition from Chinese exports, especially in the US market. Francisco Gonzalez's article presents winners and losers in Sino-Latin American interactions by using the US market export similarity index and commodity lottery. According to his analysis, winners are those natural resource exporters (such as Chile and Peru) and losers are textiles and apparel exporters (such as Mexico and Central American countries).

With its rising economic power, has China been pursuing hegemonic power in Latin America? The fact is that the US remains the dominant force in the region. In her chapter, Barbara Stallings goes further by arguing the infeasibility of a Sino-Latin American alliance against the US, given the importance of American market capital and technology to China's sustained economic growth. On the critical energy issue, Luisa Palacios's research reveals that the bulk of Latin American oil has been flowing to the US, and that Latin America could not be a major supplier of oil for China. That given, Juan Gabriel Tlkatlian points out that most Latin American nations have been avoiding energy confrontations between the US and China in the Western hemisphere. The volume editors, Riordan Roett and Guadalupe Paz, believe that the strengthening of Sino-Latin American relations provide an opportunity and have a positive influence on the China–Latin America–US triangle.

In Kurlantzick's analysis, one critical point highlights China's expansion into Southeast Asia: the promotion of Chinese language and culture. This is part of Chinese public diplomacy, targeted at the increase of China's soft power. Any future analysis of China's penetration into the Western Hemisphere should include these points so as to provide a more comprehensive understanding.

All in all, the rise of China and its world-wide engagement have brought mixed blessings to nations in the Western Hemisphere. In the near- and mid-term, China's economic and diplomatic linkages with Latin American nations will not endanger traditional US hegemony in the Western Hemisphere. However, the continuous expansion of Sino-Latin America relations and the emulation of China's model of economic development by Latin American nations might influence the Sino-US-Latin America triangular relationship in the long run.

This is one of the most resourceful and integrated books focusing on China's recent rise and its implications for the Third World, not only in Latin America, but in Southeast Asia and Africa as well. One advantage of this volume is the variety of perspectives represented − from China, Latin America and the US − on China's growing expansion into the Western hemisphere, as well as the internal coherence of the chapters. Authors bring to the volume not only a variety of geographical backgrounds, but also different methodologies, including historical analysis and quantitative analysis based on data drawn from major international statistical yearbooks. Having sifted through this book, readers will find it contributes to China study, Latin American study, and the study of economic development. Scholars in these fields can use this book both for teaching and for research.