On October 28, Universidad del Pacífico was visited by an important delegation from China with the aim of discussing Peru-China and China-Latin America relations in order to foster mutual understanding and strengthen their relations. The meeting was promoted by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Peru and conducted in coordination with Universidad del Pacífico Center for Peru-China Studies.
The meeting was chaired by the Vice President for Research, Dr. Cynthia Sanborn, and attended by professors Dr. David Wong and Dr. Jorge Heredia. On the Chinese side, the delegation of the China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA) was led by Mr. Shen Zhiliang, executive director of CPDA and was made up of 14 people including diplomats, academics, writers, journalists, painters and musicians.
During the discussions, the participants emphasized the mutual importance of China and Latin America, especially reflected in the trade relations between the two regions. It was also pointed out that there is still ample room for strengthening relations between the two, but some important barriers, such as language and geographical distance, must first be overcome.
In this sense, the visit of this delegation, composed of representatives of various sectors of the Chinese society, is an initiative of particular value, as it promotes mutual understanding, which ultimately contributes to deepen ties between Peru and China. This is especially true when you consider that the delegation brought to Peru renowned Chinese writers, musicians and journalists, such as Mr. Zheng Yuanjie, Mr. Xue Wei and Ms. Jing Yidan, who are known by millions of people in their country.
On the other hand, it was also agreed that another way to strengthen relationships is through academic exchanges. In a similar vein, Dr. Sanborn emphasized that UP is very interested in receiving Chinese visiting research professors to develop joint work. Similarly, it would be interesting to offer opportunities of academic exchange to Peruvian and Chinese students.
It should be noted that Universidad del Pacífico has been approaching China in the academic field through its Center for Peru-China studies. As pointed out by prestigious academic Dr. Wang Wen, Executive Dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China, part of the visiting delegation, his institute and the Center for Peru-China Studies successfully co-organized the T20 Workshop in Lima in April this year. This was an event that was part of the official series of meetings at the Think 20 (T20), an important forum for discussion and debate of the Group of 20 think tanks, which this year is under Chinese presidency.