Participants read Global Times newspaper at the "Global Times Overseas China Week and Global South Dialogue: Seminar on Relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries and the Mutual Perception of Public Opinion" in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 23, 2025. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT

The "Global Times Overseas China Week and Global South Dialogue: Seminar on Relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries, and the Mutual Perception of Public Opinion" were held in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, on Monday local time. Political, business, academic, think tank, and media circle representatives from China and Argentina gathered to engage in in-depth exchanges on deepening mutual understanding, strengthening the public support foundation, and promoting mutual learning among civilizations between China and LAC countries.

The Overseas China Week and Global South Dialogue series is an exchange platform for implementing Chinese President Xi Jinping's cultural thought and promoting dialogue among media establishments and think tanks from Global South countries. The hosting of the event in Latin America this time was a proactive effort to practice the Global Civilization Initiative and promote the construction of a China-LAC community with a shared future. 

The diversity of civilizations is the natural state of the world. As key members of the Global South, China and LAC countries share broad common interests and vast cooperation potential across numerous fields. At the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum held in May, President Xi profoundly stated, "Facts have shown that China and LAC countries are advancing hand in hand as a community with a shared future." He emphasized that China stands ready to join hands with LAC partners to launch five programs of solidarity, development, civilization, peace, and people-to-people connectivity, charting the course for building a China-LAC community with a shared future in the new era.

The "Global Times Overseas China Week and Global South Dialogue: Seminar on Relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries and the Mutual Perception of Public Opinion" opens in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 23, 2025. Photo: Shan Jie/GT

During the seminar, more than 10 participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the survey on the mutual perception of public opinion. The discussions focused on three key topics: Mutual perceptions and public sentiment between China and Latin America, diverse drivers of positive China-LAC relations, and the role of media in shaping mutual perceptions.

The seminar, which was co-organized by the Global Times, CLACSO, and the Center for Chinese and Latin American Studies (CECLA), aimed to use media exchanges and think tank cooperation as a starting point to foster consensus through candid communication, continuously enhance people-to-people ties between China and Latin America, and cultivate strong public support for building a China-LAC community with a shared future.

Fan Zhengwei, President and Editor-in-Chief of the Global Times

Fan Zhengwei, President and Editor-in-Chief of the Global Times:

Today, China and Latin America have entered a "fast track" of multi-channel and multi-level exchanges and cooperation in the humanistic sphere. The Global Times is committed to serving as a messenger for civilizational dialogue and mutual learning. This collaboration, which includes conducting a survey on the mutual perception of public opinion between China and Latin America and hosting the seminar, is a practical effort to build a bridge for scholars, the media, and societal figures from both regions to enhance exchanges and dialogue, provide intellectual support for advancing China-Latin America cooperation, and contribute to the future development of Global South countries.

Wang Wei, China's Ambassador to Argentina

Wang Wei, China's Ambassador to Argentina:

Mutual respect and trust align with public aspirations, with people on both sides increasingly viewing each other as good friends and partners who treat each other with respect and equality. Mutually beneficial cooperation resonates with public opinion, and the consensus on advancing together and achieving mutual success has become widely shared among the Chinese and Latin American public. Solidarity and collaboration meet public expectations, as the peoples of both regions jointly uphold world peace, stability, and a multilateral trading system, with a growing willingness to push for reforms in global governance. 

Pablo Vommaro, General Director-elect of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO)

Pablo Vommaro, General Director-elect of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO):

We are convinced that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) can mean new cooperation opportunities to strengthen ties and promote exchanges based on mutual learning. For LAC countries, we have much to learn from China's experiences, such as in development and poverty alleviation, but we also know that China can learn from the experiences and the cultural, social, and natural diversities of the LAC.

Jorge Taiana, General Director of Centro Internacional de Estudios Políticos (CIEP)

Jorge Taiana, General Director of Centro Internacional de Estudios Políticos (CIEP):

In the international and multilateral arena, there exists a significant number of institutions facilitating cooperation between the LAC and China. Initiatives launched by China, such as the BRI in 2013, are crucial for understanding specific cooperation between China and LAC countries. These efforts, among many others aimed at enhancing development quality, have laid the groundwork that fosters deeper collaboration.

Gabriel Merino, Coordinator of the working group "China and the map of world power" at the CLACSO

Gabriel Merino, Coordinator of the working group "China and the map of world power" at the CLACSO:

The LAC region has a historic opportunity to emerge as an autonomous actor in this increasingly multipolar and transitioning world, moving beyond its former role as the "backyard." 

The perceptions and opinions of Chinese and Latin American people reflect a growing closeness despite obstacles, challenges, and external pressures, forming a solid foundation to deepen development cooperation, reduce inequalities, and jointly work toward a more just, democratic, and equitable new world order.

Patricio Conejero Ortiz, Director of the Latin America-China Observatory (OLAC) at University of Buenos Aires

Patricio Conejero Ortiz, Director of the Latin America-China Observatory (OLAC) at University of Buenos Aires:

Currently, young Argentine scholars show a higher interest in learning Chinese, with the main motivation stemming from positive expectations for future career development. Strengthening Chinese language training and optimizing the construction of academic exchange platforms between China and Latin America will be key measures to promote the continuous deepening of bilateral understanding and cooperation.

Daniel Filmus, Director of the Ibero-American Center for Research in Science, Technology, and Innovation (CIICTI)

Daniel Filmus, Director of the Ibero-American Center for Research in Science, Technology, and Innovation (CIICTI):

It is essential to review public and media discourses on current relations with China, overcoming the inherited stereotypes from the Eurocentric and North American perspectives that are still dominant in our region. 

In the field of science and technology, we can contribute to generating new representations that align with the current consolidating bond and to energizing the understanding of Chinese culture from its central role in scientific and technological production.

Alejandra Conconi, Executive Director of the Argentine-Chinese Chamber of Production, Industry and Commerce

Alejandra Conconi, Executive Director of the Argentine-Chinese Chamber of Production, Industry and Commerce:

In a global learning process, thousands of executives and technicians leave China for the first time each year and arrive in Latin America, while thousands of Latin Americans begin to engage with a society that still feels distant to them. 

In the business sphere, we work to build concrete bridges that improve communication and understanding, convinced that all forms of trade and cooperation are processes that lead to peace and friendship among nations.

María del Carmen Alarcón, Coordinator of the Sovereign Foreign Policy Commission at the PATRIA Institute

María del Carmen Alarcón, Coordinator of the Sovereign Foreign Policy Commission at the PATRIA Institute:

The BRI, launched by China, is a model project capable of promoting inclusive growth, especially for countries of the Global South. We have been going through turbulence, but we continue to work toward discussing and solidifying the construction of a multipolar, fair, and orderly world. China plays a very important role in this process, as it provides a factor of certainty amid the change.

Nicolas Schonfeld, Executive Director of Televisión América Latina (TAL)

Nicolas Schonfeld, Executive Director of Televisión América Latina (TAL):

Public media - beyond merely amplifying official narratives - are called upon to weave meaning, to link diverse perspectives that, while preserving their identity, can recognize each other through exchange. They are tasked with building new forms of empathy.What we propose is to create conditions for Chinese and Latin American narratives to meet, engage in dialogue, and mutually transform.

Néstor Restivo, Founder and Journalistic Director of DangDai Magazine

Néstor Restivo, Founder and Journalistic Director of DangDai Magazine:

The world is undergoing a transition in the global power system. China and Latin America, as part of the Global South, are participating in the construction of what is to come. The democratization of communication - exposing those who feign press freedom to uphold an unjust and unequal order - will be an essential task, just as vital as laying new foundations for an information and communication system that serves the people, their liberation, and their happiness.

Distant lands, common cause