As China scholar and China and Latin America Working Group member, David Shambaugh, mentioned in Adrian Hearn’s and Jose Luis Leon-Manriquez’s China Engages Latin America: Tracing the Trajectory, interest in studying China and Chinese language is growing in Latin America, but there is still a very low level of understanding among the region’s people and governments. Latin America’s China- and/or Asia-focused studies programs are very limited, as evidenced by the map below (click on red markers for more information), where we’ve assembled some of the region’s major Asia studies programs and Asia-related research centers. They range from well-respected universities and top-notch institutions like UNAM’s China-Mexico Studies Center to small schools offering extracurricular courses in tai chi or Chinese calligraphy. Though not included on our map, Latin America also boasts twenty-one Confucius Institutes and eight Confucius Classrooms. Confucius Institutes are established in coordination with Hanban, a division of China’s Ministry of Education that promotes Chinese culture and language abroad.
Though often thought to have the upper-hand in regional studies, China’s understanding of Latin America is also very limited. The country has several think tanks dedicated (at least in part) to the study of Latin America – CASS ILAS, CICIR, and SIIS, for example, conduct very good Chinese-language research on the region’s history, economy, politics, policies, and foreign relations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) China Institute of International Studies and the Ministry of Commerce-affiliated Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation also employ Latin America experts with impressive Spanish and Portuguese language skills. The MFA’s Latin America experts have studied at SAIS and other U.S. educational institutions. In total, however, there are only about fifty scholars/experts in China that focus specifically on Latin America. Many of them are listed HERE. Latin American studies programs in China’s universities are also very limited, usually residing in history departments. Nankai, Fudan, Peking, and Jianghan Universities all have centers for Latin America studies within their history departments. Sichuan Foreign Studies University, Zhejiang Foreign Studies University, and the Southwest University of Science and Technology recently established institutes of Latin American studies, though all seem to focus primarily on language study.
Most all China-Latin America relations experts have recognized the need for greater cross-regional understanding between Latin America and China. As China’s role expands in Latin America, countries are in desperate need of China experts and Chinese speakers to develop trade ties, promote investment, negotiate effectively, challenge counterproductive stereotypes, and encourage multi-faceted bilateral relationships. Latin American businesses with little understanding of Chinese culture, business practices, or commercial regulations, find operation in China to be extremely daunting. The same can be said for Chinese firms operating in Latin America, and especially for China’s small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Dear Margaret: I can't agree with you more that we should expand our understanding about the Latin America, which is becoming the important supplier of raw materials and natural resource to China. I made my first trip to Peru last December, seeking both academic and industrial collaboration with my partner university USIL in Lima. Chinese Study, Organic Agriculture, Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, and Sustainable Energy System are among those mutually interested degree programs we intend to bring to Peru. In addition, The Joint MDU/USIL Research Center for Green Technology will be set up to incubate related business in Peru this year. The project is directed by the Liaison Office of MDU in America, located in Vancouver, Canada. I am glad to share your valuable information about China-Latin America relationship.
Professor Da-Yung Wang
Chancellor of MingDao University, Taiwan