Tuesday, October 12, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of FLACSO in Costa Rica, the official launch of the Contemporary China Chair was held, an initiative developed with the cooperation of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Costa Rica and the Institute of Latin American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (ILAS-CASS).
Present at the event were His Excellency Mr. Rodolfo Solano, Minister of Foreign Relations and Worship of Costa Rica; His Excellency Mr. Tang Heng, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Costa Rica; and Mrs. Josette Altmann-Borbón, General Secretary of FLACSO.
During her participation, Dr. Altmann-Borbón referred to the essential nature of FLACSO in Latin America and the Caribbean as a bridge between the world of ideas and that of public policies, as well as its 64-year history in the which has established itself as a referential institution of thought, understanding and analysis of the Latin American and Caribbean reality.
"Studying Contemporary China requires a constant renewal of understanding of its social, economic and political structures, as well as the analysis of its relations with the rest of the world, its role within the international system and its participation in regional and multilateral organizations", stated Dr. Altmann-Borbón.
"It will be the main mission of the Chair to develop knowledge that allows decision makers, in both public and private spheres, to have inputs to analyze the development, impact and influence of China in the world, with special attention to Latin America and the Caribbean ”, she added.
For his part, Mr. Ambassador Tang Heng expressed his wishes for the success of the Chair and expressed that China is willing to work together with Latin America and the Caribbean to intensify dialogue and learning with respect, equality and mutual trust and, In this way, strengthen the cooperative ties of shared gain for the benefit of the peoples.
In addition, Foreign Minister Rodolfo Solano referred to the important role that the Contemporary China Chair will play for an effective relationship with China, promoting a deep and proactive dialogue in order to build a vision for the future of a strategic relationship with China.
"We are convinced that this center of thought, for which we warmly congratulate FLACSO, allows us to have a more refined view of China, as well as a different and complementary view of ourselves, as Latin Americans and Caribbean people," he said.
The event also featured the video participation of Mr. Ricardo Lagos, who served as Secretary General of FLACSO between 1972 and 1973, as well as President of Chile from 2000 to 2006. In addition, Dr. Francisco Valdés, President of the Superior Council of FLACSO, and Dr. Chai Yu, Director of ILAS-CASS.
Finally, the Latin American Lecture Series on Contemporary China “Diplomacy of China in Latin America” was presented, which will take place between October 26 and November 11.
The Lecture Series of six online conferences with high-level Chinese and Latin American researchers, on topics such as the Digital Silk Road, economic diplomacy, academic cooperation, city twinning, sustainable development and summit diplomacy. Those interested in participating can register on the website www.chinacontemporanea.org.
The Chair is directed by Sergio Rivero, Research Associate of the General Secretariat of FLACSO. Rivero is a political scientist with a master's degree in Economics from the Renmin University of China and a PhD candidate in Public Administration and Business Sciences from the Central American Institute of Public Administration (ICAP).