Cechap makes an academic trip to Australia
In December 2024, Cynthia Sanborn, Director of Cechap, and Kehan Wang, Cechap researcher, traveled to Australia to participate in academic activities and explore opportunities for collaboration on Asia-Pacific issues, mining, and sustainable development.
As part of their itinerary, they were invited to the international conference “Grounding Global China,” organized by the Centre for Contemporary China Studies (CCCS) at the University of Melbourne, held from December 8 to 10. This event brought together experts in 26 sessions over two days. Sanborn and Wang participated in the panel titled “Capitalizing on the New Climate Economy in the Americas,” the only one focused on Latin America. During this session, Sanborn presented the paper “Latin America, China, and the Challenges to a Just Energy Transition,” while Wang discussed “Navigating ESG Challenges: Chinese Companies and Community Engagement in Latin America’s Resource Extraction Sector.” The session was one of the most attended.
In Brisbane, the Cechap team visited the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) at the University of Queensland, a leading center for research, teaching, and consultancy on mining and sustainable development. During their visit on December 12, Kehan Wang presented part of his research on rural communities in the area influenced by the Las Bambas mining project, titled “Mobilizing the Inca Heartland: A Study of Conflicts over Mining in Southern Peru,” receiving valuable feedback from the institute’s experts.
The trip resulted in the strengthening of important academic and professional ties. Among future commitments are the potential organization of international workshops in Lima and collaborations with SMI on projects related to mine closure and sustainable development. These initiatives reinforce academic exchange between Australia and Peru.
