To date, there have been three academic missions to China. A growing number of institutions that have been contacted, several of them for the second or third time. In 2015, meetings were held with 10 institutions; in 2016, the number increased to 12; and in 2017, to 20. In total, we have set up a network with 26 institutions in China. With some of them the relationship is more consolidated, even with joint actions; while with others the level of relationship is still in an initial phase.
Last academic mission
This year's academic mission was in charge of Dr. Rosario Santa Gadea, Director of the Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies; and Dr. Cynthia Sanborn, Vice President for Research, who participated in part of it. These authorities attended activities in the three best universities in China: Tsinghua University, Peking University and Fudan University, as well as in other prestigious universities such as Renmin University of China and University of International Business and Economics, among others.
Three of the five best think tanks in China were also contacted: the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) and the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR).
It was a high rank academic mission, both in terms of people and institutions. In total, there were 33 working meetings, involving about 30 academic authorities (including presidents, vice presidents, deans, associate deans, heads of programs and directors of research centers) and 20 Chinese professors and/or researchers. In addition, as usual in their trips, Dr. Sanborn and Dr. Santa Gadea were received by the Ambassador of Peru in China.
UP authorities hold meeting with Vice President of Research of Tsinghua University, Beijing
"The main result of this proactive work is to have built up a network of contacts with academic institutions and experts with whom we can begin to carry out joint actions in research, dissemination of knowledge, exchange of visiting researchers and design of programs in education", said Dr. Santa Gadea.
The effort has harvested the first specific contributions. After several meetings started in 2016, it has been possible to jointly design a research project with the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IWEP-CASS). The topic to develop is of great effect: "China and Latin America: Finding a Way to Overcome the Middle Income Trap". Chinese and Latin American experts participated in this study. The project is currently in the fundraising phase.
Working meeting between the Director of the UP Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies and the Director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IWEP-CASS), Beijing
Within this same objective, between November 8 and December 7 of this year, Universidad del Pacífico, on the initiative of its Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies, is receiving Dr. Niu Haibin as visiting researcher, Senior Fellow, Deputy Director of the Center for American Studies and Assistant Director of the Institute for International Strategic Studies of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS).
The most recent result of this relationship is the international conference “Reforma e internacionalización de las empresas chinas y relaciones con América Latina y el Perú” ("Reform and internationalization of Chinese companies and relations with Latin America and Peru"), which will be held at Universidad del Pacífico on December 6, with the participation of two distinguished Chinese experts: Dr. Liu Guy Shaojia, Senior Professor and Head of the United Kingdom Campus of Peking University HSBC Business School; and Dr. Niu Haibin, of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS). Both institutions, with which we have signed institutional collaboration agreements, were visited in the last academic mission to China. A distinguished group of personalities and experts from the local environment also participate as speakers and panelists in this international conference, which has the collaboration of the Association of Chinese Companies in Peru.
Dr. Santa Gadea holds meetings with faculty at Peking University HSBC Business School (PHBS), Shenzhen
Referent in events about China
This network of contacts with academic institutions in China has also made it possible to position Universidad del Pacífico Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies as a referent in relevant academic events on China, with researchers and governmental authorities of that Asian country. It should be noted that it is the only Peruvian center on the Inter-American Development Bank list of the 30 think tanks in Latin America and China specialized in reciprocal relationship that appears in the Made in CHI-LAT. Keys to Renew the Convergence between Latin America and China, in Integración y Comercio N°40, May 2016.
In April 2016, the Center organized a workshop of special importance as it was part of the official activities of the Think 20, as the Group of 20 (G20) think-tanks forum of reflection and discussion is known. The forum brings together the world's largest advanced and emerging economies and was chaired by China during that year. The event was held at Universidad del Pacífico, together with the three Chinese academic institutions that led the activities of the T20 during the Chinese G20 presidency: the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IWEP-CASS), the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) and the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University of China (RDCY).
Due to the successful co-organization of this event, Dr. Santa Gadea was invited to the Think 20 Summit held in Beijing in July last year, where nearly 500 experts from think tanks, politicians and representatives of international organizations from 25 countries gathered. Our Center was the only academic representative of Peru.
On the other hand, in June 2017, Dr. Sanborn and Dr. Santa Gadea participated in the "VI China-Latin America High Level Academic Forum", which brought together experts from China and Latin America to discuss issues referred to the "Structural Transformation and Perspectives of the Sino-Latin American Relationship". At the event, Dr. Sanborn participated as a speaker and moderator of a session, which was a recognition and reflects the good relations established with the organizer of the forum, the Institute of Latin American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (ILAS-CASS).
Dr. Sanborn in the "VI China-Latin America High Level Academic Forum", Beijing
Dr. Santa Gadea was also a speaker at the "I Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)-China High-level Academic Forum", held at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in Santiago, Chile, on October 17 and 18 of this year. The Director of the Universidad del Pacífico Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies was the only speaker from Peru to participate in this event, which was co-organized by the Institute of Latin American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (ILAS-CASS), the Institute of Chile and ECLAC as the host institution.
The Universidad del Pacífico Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies is not only unique in Peru for specializing mainly in economics, markets, development and international relations, but also because of its positioning strategy and relationship with Chinese academic, business and diplomatic institutions, both in Peru and in the Asian country, with concrete contributions and results to date and an even deeper work agenda to begin in 2018.
Meeting of the Director of the Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies with the Vice President of the University of International Business and Economics, Beijing