Economist Eduardo Marty told the BBC that currency restrictions had been extended to all economic activities, from the export of goods to foreign travel.
"The last two years were by far the most challenging in over 30 years, " Pope says, citing global recessionary conditions, fears about the H1N1 virus, the closure of some key export markets, spiking grain prices and extended low hog prices tied to oversupply.
Over the past few years, state-owned financial institutions, mainly the Export-Import Bank of China and the China Development Bank, have extended tens of billions of dollars to Brazil, Russia and Kazakhstan, among other countries.