Chinese, Latin American scholars discuss road to Chinese modernization

The National High-end Think Tank of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences organized experts and scholars and recently held a number of "Chinese modernization" lectures and published reports in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, aiming to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning between China and Latin America's modern civilizations and achieve common development. 

The event attracted nearly 1,000 participants from the political, business and academic circles of the three countries and was important for people-to-people exchanges between China and Latin America.

Experts and scholars from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences delivered speeches on topics such as the essence and connotation of Chinese modernization, its contribution to the world and its inspiration for promoting China-Latin America economic and trade cooperation. Participants from all walks of life in Latin America said that the experience of Chinese modernization has important reference significance for Latin American countries.

Key to understanding China 

It was agreed at the event that China is comprehensively advancing the great cause of national rejuvenation with Chinese modernization, and Latin American countries are also exploring their own modernization development paths. China has made brilliant achievements in the cause of modernization, marking the "two miracles" of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. China's comprehensive national strength has made historic strides, and the Chinese path, Chinese plan and Chinese philosophy have gained strong influence and appeal. China has successfully pioneered the road of Chinese modernization, proving that the capitalist system is not "the last form of human domination." 

Enrique Dussel Peters, director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said that he has visited China many times and witnessed the great changes in China's modernization drive over the past decade and can also feel the progress of the Chinese people's lives.

Oscar Palilli, executive chairman of the Argentine Institute of the Fatherland, said that with the rapid development of China's economy and the improvement of its international influence, Chinese modernization and its ideas have attracted wide attention from the world.

New model for modernization

Scholars from Argentina, Brazil and Mexico shared their understanding and views on Chinese modernization from the perspectives of their countries. 

It was agreed at the meeting that the realization of modernization is the common pursuit of people around the world. Chinese modernization focuses on the coordinated development of economic, political, cultural, social and ecological civilization. In particular, China's campaign to eliminate absolute poverty has made outstanding progress in achieving the phased goals of China's modernization. It provides "Chinese wisdom" for the eradication of poverty, a global problem, and opens up new ways and options for developing countries to learn from valuable experience. 

Gulinal Azevedo Silva, president of the State University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, spoke highly of the far-reaching impact of Chinese modernization on Latin America and expressed his keen expectation for strengthening exchanges and cooperation between China and Brazil. She said she believed that Chinese modernization has important reference value and valuable experience for Latin American countries.

A 'southern force'

The meeting agreed that the strengthening of think tank exchanges and cooperation between countries in the Global South, represented by China and Latin American countries, will help countries in the Global South gather strength and guide the direction of jointly moving toward modernization and building a better world. On the one hand, Chinese modernization has not only the common features of the modernization of other countries, but also Chinese characteristics based on its own national conditions. Chinese modernization will provide sustained driving force for world economic growth. On the other hand, with the joint efforts of both sides, new achievements have been made in the building of the China-Latin America community with a shared future, and the practice of China-Latin America cooperation has become a model for Global South cooperation. In the future, China-Latin America economic and trade cooperation will not only be limited to the traditional areas of trade, investment and finance, but also expand to more frontier areas such as digital economy, artificial intelligence, economy and cross-border e-commerce. 

Former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner summed up the experience of mutual learning between China and Latin America in recent years when talking with the delegation. She said she hoped to continue to deepen the friendship between China and Latin America, form synergy in the common pursuit of modernization, break the stereotype of "center - periphery" in the international public opinion field, and form a clean international outlook and world view.

The series of lectures was jointly organized by the Secretariat of the National High-end Think Tank Council of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Institute of Latin American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the University of Buenos Aires of Argentina, the State University of Rio de Janeiro of Brazil, the State University of Sao Paulo of Brazil, and the China-Mexico Research Center of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. 

The event was an important part of the National High-end Think Tank of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences to strengthen international academic exchanges and cooperation, including in Latin America, with the aim of explaining the valuable experience and great achievements of Chinese modernization, spreading the voice of China, promoting all sectors in Latin America to better understand China, and helping to build a China-Latin America community of shared future.

In addition to the series of reports, experts from the National High-end Think Tank of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences also held symposiums on "China-Latin America civilization exchange and mutual learning," "World power pattern," "China-Latin America Economic and Trade Relations and Prospects" and "China-Latin America Rule of Law Modernization" with institutions such as the Argentine Institute of the Homeland, the Argentine Council of Latin American Social Sciences and the Third Procuratorial District of the Federal Prosecutor's Office of Brazil.