Interview with Sergio Cesarín: “It is crucial to examine the mutual influences between China and Latin America”
As part of the International Forum China – Latin America: Perspectives and Debates, we spoke with Sergio Cesarín, an Argentine scholar with extensive experience in the study of relations between Asia and Latin America. As a professor at the National University of Tres de Febrero and coordinator of the Center for Studies on the Asia-Pacific and India, Cesarín has led key research lines on cooperation, technology, and economic thought between the two regions.
In this interview, he shares some of the key points he will address during his participation on April 24 in Quito, emphasizing the need to review historical mutual influences, explore opportunities for technical cooperation, and confront emerging challenges facing Latin American countries in their relations with China.
Interview with Sergio Cesarín: “It is crucial to examine the mutual influences between China and Latin America”
Participant in the International Forum China – Latin America: Perspectives and Debates
Andrés Bello Foundation:
We’re joined by Sergio Cesarín, professor at the National University of Tres de Febrero (UNTREF) in Buenos Aires, Argentina; coordinator of the Center for Studies on the Asia-Pacific and India at the same university; and researcher at the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET). Sergio, how will you be participating in the forum?
Sergio Cesarín:
Hello, good afternoon. I’ll be taking part in the International Forum on China in Latin America on April 23 and 24. It will be held in Quito, specifically at Universidad San Francisco de Quito. I’ll be speaking on the morning of April 24 about the outlook for China–Latin America relations.
Andrés Bello Foundation:
Could you give us a preview of the topics you’ll be addressing?
Sergio Cesarín:
Sure. I’d like to highlight two or three points that I believe are particularly important. The first, especially thinking of a younger audience, is to provide a brief historical introduction on the influence that Latin American economic thought has had on China. This is a perspective we often overlook — we tend to focus only on China’s influence in our region, but we don’t always reflect on how our ways of thinking, perceiving, and negotiating have also shaped the relationship.
The second point is about economics, trade, and investment — but with a particular focus on technical assistance and technological cooperation between China and Latin American countries. I’d like to emphasize agreements between Chinese and Latin American tech companies, training programs for young professionals, human resource development, and China’s role in supporting digital education in Latin America.
Those will be some of the key topics I address. It will also be a great opportunity for discussion, for exchanging perspectives, and for sparking new knowledge and curiosity around emerging topics in China–Latin America relations.
With the participation of colleagues and researchers from various universities and public and private institutions across the region, the forum will be an excellent space to discuss not only the present, but also opportunities for improving and rethinking the relations between Latin American countries and China. There are many compelling issues on the agenda that deserve attention, and many others that present challenges we, as scholars and experts, can help analyze. I truly believe this forum will be — once again — an excellent opportunity to share ideas and imagine new paths in China–Latin America relations.