Abstract The political and institutional crisis in Brazil from 2015, fueled largely by corruption probes and lawfare, had severe repercussions within the Brazilian construction and energy sectors. While many international investors withdrew from Brazil in this period, Chinese investment surged. This article accounts for the particular characteristics of Chinese investments, such as sectorial complementarities, risk assessment, market size attraction, and state-drivenness, which may explain this development.

RESUMO Introdução: O artigo analisa as reações domésticas aos acordos de compras de terras chinesas no Brasil, Argentina e Bolívia e como essas tentativas afetaram a estrutura regulatória desses países para aquisições de terras estrangeiras. Materiais e métodos: As mobilizações contra esses acordos são examinadas com foco em sua composição interna de forças sociais e nas estruturas que elas produzem para pressionar por restrições regulatórias. Resultados: O surgimento de protestos na Argentina e no Brasil, relativo à falta de oposição na Bolívia, é explicado através de um desenho de caso mais semelhante, enfatizando as diferenças na estrutura socioeconômica rural e composição de capital no setor agrícola como fatores explicativos centrais, respondendo pela variação do resultado nos casos examinados. Discussão: Com ponto de partida no debate sobre o investimento global em terras, o artigo contribui para entender como o investimento estrangeiro é acomodado em diferentes modos de desenvolvimento dependente de commodities.

ABSTRACT Introduction: The article analyses domestic reactions to Chinese land deals in Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia, and how such attempts have affected these countries’ regulatory framework for foreign land acquisitions. Materials and Methods: Mobilizations against these deals are examined with focus on their internal composition of social forces, and the framings which they produce in order to press for regulatory restrictions. Results: The emergence of protest in Argentina and Brazil, relative to the lack of opposition in Bolivia, is explained through a most similar case design, emphasizing differences in the rural socio-economic structure and composition of capital within the agricultural sector as central explanatory factors, accounting for the variation of the outcome in the cases examined. Discussion: With point of departure in the debate about global land investment, the article contributes to understanding how foreign investment is accommodated within different modes of commodity dependent development.

Abstract Focusing on the domestic policy network around the Blue Amazon paradigm, this article challenges the frequently presented argument of Brazil as a key player in global environmental governance. In doing so, it applies a policy network approach to study the institutional framework that structures the country’s engagement in relation to the Antarctica and the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) negotiation agendas.