Prior essays and commentary:

“China and Latin America: Back to the Future”, The Diplomat, 16 June 2015

China’s foray into Latin America builds on an extensive history

“How a historic Pacific trade route can foster better China-Latin America ties”, South China Morning Post, 1 May 2015

Germán Muñoz says as China revives Silk Road links, the 16th-century ‘Silver Way’ offers a template for enhanced multilateral cooperation, development and integration

“HK and Spain can enjoy a fruitful relationship”, China Daily, 20 April 2015

It was exactly two centuries ago that the last “Manila Galleon” sailed west from Acapulco in the then Spanish territory of “Nueva España” — “New Spain” — with a cargo of silver used in Asia and in China.

“China’s Way East: La Ruta de la Plata”, Global Asia, 27 January 2015, reprinted as “The Maritime Silk Road of the Manila Galleons”, Caixin, 7 March 2015

The commercial relationships under the trans-Pacific trade routes of the 16th to 18th centuries offer a paradigm for emerging dynamics in China’s ties to the global economy