Wise’s paper on China’s free trade agreements with Chile and Peru is the first in a series of economics briefs that will be published by the Inter-American Dialogue’s China and Latin America Program in coming months. China’s slowing growth, its proposed “economic transformation,” and its commitment to deeper economic integration with Latin America are changing the landscape of China-Latin America economic engagement. Latin American nations, meanwhile, have adopted strikingly different approaches to managing China’s expanding economic influence in the region. The Dialogue’s China and Latin America economics briefs will address areas of emerging interest at this pivotal moment in China-Latin America economic relations. In addition to Wise’s assessment of Chinese FTAs in South America, our contributors will address such topics as China’s approaches to renminbi internationalization in Latin America, China Development Bank policy, commodities-related trends in the region, and China’s influence on Latin American industrial policy.