Daniela Chacón Arias, executive director at Fundación TANDEM and former Quito vice mayor and city council member: “President Lasso’s international relations view is based on a slogan he constantly repeats: ‘More Ecuador in the world, and more world in Ecuador.’ Given China’s stance in the world, and especially in Latin America, the drive to pursue a bilateral trade deal with China constitutes a pillar of Lasso’s government. In such a scenario, debt negotiations are a priority because of the social and economic crisis the country is facing due to the pandemic and our economic performance in recent years. Lasso was recently able to pass through the National Assembly a tax reform in which he heavily taxes the middle class but has failed to present a plan to cut public spending. Therefore, a debt negotiation with China could bring more oxygen to the government to fulfill its campaign promises. Nonetheless, the asymmetric relationship with China and the conditions under which the debt was contracted are…”