But, in South America, the rhetoric of trade integration has often been stifled by the harsh reality of protectionism. Fortunately, with the consolidation of a free-trade bloc among the Pacific Rim countries – home to 215 million people and accounting for 37% of Latin America’s GDP – this is changing.
在未来几年中，有两大因素可以继续推动哥伦比亚的发展。其一是太平洋同盟（Pacific Alliance，其余成员还包括墨西哥、秘鲁和智利）。企业学会了通过地区市场销售出口新产品。但是，在南美，贸易一体化言论常常被严峻的保护主义现实所窒息。幸运的是，随着环太平洋国家（拥有2.15亿人口，贡献37%的拉丁美洲GDP）自由贸易区的巩固，这一点正在改变。