During Latin America's China-led commodity boom, governments turned a blind eye to the inherent flaws in the region's economic policy. Now that the commodity boom is coming to an end, those flaws cannot be ignored. High on the list of shortcomings is the fact that Latin American governments--and Chinese investors--largely fell short of mitigating the social and environmental impact of commodity-led growth.

China and Sustainable Development in Latin America documents the social and environmental impact of the China-led commodity boom in the region. Primary commodity exploitation--of...