China-Latin America Program

From its strategic location on the Pacific Coast and the U.S.-Mexico border, the Institute of the Americas is building bridges between China and Latin America. The Institute and its Chinese partner, the Institute of Latin American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, will host two conferences this year – one in Washington, D.C. and another in Beijing -- to help government leaders and business executives establish contacts that benefit both regions.
S. Lynne Walker
Program Director
Biography
WASHINGTON – Brazil is the single most important player in the Sino-Latin America relationship, Dr. Yuan Peng, assistant president of the China Institutes for Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) said during a Sept. 19 conference organized by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Institute of the Americas.
“The next 10 years belong to Brazil,” Yuan told a standing-room-only audience of more than 130 government officials, diplomats, business leaders and academics, while “Argentina and Mexico are large and growing. We see great progress in Sino-Latin American relations. Both China and Latin America are rising.”
The conference, titled, “Latin America and China: What do they mean for each other?,” focused on China’s rise in the international economic system and China’s role in Latin American trade, investment and growth. Speakers at the conference included: Dr. Cynthia Arnson, director of the Latin American Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center; Dr. Shouguo Yang, deputy director of the Institute of Latin American Studies at CICIR in Beijing; Ines Bustillo, director of the United Nations ECLAC Washington office; and Lynne Walker, vice president and director of the China-Latin America program at the Institute of the Americas.
Institute of the Americas signs cooperative agreement with China policy institute
LOS ANGELES -- The Institute of the Americas has signed a two-year agreement with the China Institutes for Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) to help strengthen the economic relationship between China and countries in Latin America.
During a Sept. 16 signing ceremony, which took place during a Los Angeles conference titled, “China in Latin America: The New Economic Frontier, ” CICIR Assistant President Peng Yuan said his organization is “joining the IOA in building bridges between our countries to achieve a win-win-win result for all.”
Ambassador Jeffrey Davidow, president of the Institute of the Americas, said, “It is clear that China’s involvement requires serious attention and study. Latin American governments are seen as natural allies of China. This brings with it a whole new set of issues -- social, political and economic.”
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President's Corner

"While U.S.-Latin America relations are not bad, they have deteriorated. The relative importance of the United States in Latin America has declined. The challenge for the United States is how to revitalize that relationship."
That's CAF President (and IOA Board member) Enrique García’s executive summary of U.S.-Latin American relations.
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