CECHAP at the 14th China–Latin America High-Level Academic Forum in Guangzhou
Alicia Zegarra, Manager of the Just Energy Transition (JET) Project at the Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies (CECHAP), participated in the 14th China–Latin America High-Level Academic Dialogue Forum, held on November 24–25, 2025, at the Sun Yat-sen University campus in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. As part of the program, she took part as both a speaker and a moderator in key sessions focused on energy transition, sustainable development, and shifts in the international order.
During Session 2, titled “High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation and Green Transformation in Latin America,” she delivered a presentation addressing the challenges and opportunities of a just energy transition in Latin America from a multilevel governance perspective. She also served as moderator for Session 5, “The Rise of the Global South and the Reshaping of the International Order,” facilitating academic dialogue on the emerging role of the Global South and the reconfiguration of global governance.
Held under the theme “Building a China–Latin America Community with a Shared Future: Modernization Experiences and Green Development Paths,” the forum brought together scholars, policymakers, institutional representatives, and international organizations from China and Latin America to discuss modernization agendas and sustainable development, with a particular focus on green transitions. The event was primarily in-person, with some hybrid participation, and included an additional day of field visits to companies on November 26.
Organized by the Institute of Latin American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (ILAS–CASS), the forum was established in 2012 in collaboration with Latin American universities and has become one of the leading platforms for high-level academic dialogue between China and Latin America, rotating annually between hosts on both sides of the Pacific. This edition included participants from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru.
Notable participants included Qiu Xiaoqi, Special Representative of the Chinese Government for Latin American Affairs; José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); and Lesly David, Permanent Secretary of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), who underscored the importance of deepening China–Latin America cooperation in areas such as energy transition, sustainable development, and technological innovation.
