My research project investigates the meanings and practices of ‘greenness’ in China by examining the market devices and investment practices of Chinese actors in Latin America. The central questions are: What does ‘green’ signify in China? How do these perceptions of greenness connect to sustainable financial practices? And how are these concepts and practices translated through financial investments driving China's economic growth in Latin America? To answer these questions, I draw on economic anthropology, the social studies of finance, and communication studies focusing on political economy, market devices, and intercultural communication. The primary goals of this fellowship are: 1) to characterize the meaning(s) of green in Chinese green financial engagements, 2) to identify the market devices and equity relations used by Chinese actors in green investments in Latin America, and 3) to critically examine the concept of Green Finance and China's role in its implementation.
The project focuses on the financial practices of Chinese actors in energy transition metals, specifically lithium and copper investments in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. These metals are essential for sustainable energy and the development of green technologies. China is a global leader in developing technologies such as solar panels, lithium-ion batteries, and New Energy Vehicles (NEVs), which require substantial capital investments and energy transition metals. However, studies on the extraction of these metals have highlighted significant environmental and social issues that are often overlooked in favour of green narratives of eco-modernity (Lèbre et al., 2020; Alicia Valero et al., 2018). Techno-optimist narratives promoting green technologies, such as decarbonization through NEVs, are used to justify transforming landscapes and lifestyles within and beyond China (Ampuero-Ruiz, 2024). Employing George Marcus's (1995) ‘follow the thing’ approach to multi-sited ethnography, this research aims to uncover the visions of green modernity enacted through the market devices and practices of Chinese actors across Asia and Latin America. Specifically, it seeks to clarify and demystify what Chinese actors with global economic and political influence envision and implement when they discuss a green or sustainable economy.