What we do?

As part of the project “Capitalizing on a New Climate Economy in the Americas,” led by the Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies (CECHAP) at Universidad del Pacífico (UP), the conference “China and Latin America: Challenges for a Just Energy Transition” was held on April 27. The event brought together prominent scholars from Latin America, China, and the United States to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the region on its path toward a fair, inclusive, and locally driven energy transition.

The conference served as a platform for sharing experiences and knowledge on China’s role in Latin America’s sustainable development. In a context where the region has a renewed opportunity to benefit from the global demand for critical minerals essential to the energy transition, participants agreed on the need to maximize benefits and minimize associated risks—especially considering China’s growing presence in the region.

China, now a global leader in the production of key technologies for a low-carbon economy, is also Peru’s main trading partner—as well as for several neighboring countries—and a major investor in both traditional and emerging sectors. This dynamic raises crucial questions: What do we need to understand about China and its motivations to build mutually beneficial relationships? How can we ensure that the development of new value chains is both environmentally and socially sustainable? What is the role of development finance institutions?

The event opened with welcome remarks from UP’s Vice President for Research, Gustavo Yamada, and CECHAP Director, Cynthia Sanborn, who emphasized the importance of creating academic spaces for dialogue on the impacts of the energy transition in both regional and global contexts.

The keynote lecture was delivered by Professor Alex Wang from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), who presented an analysis of the evolution of environmental policy in China and the country’s role in international expansion. His presentation offered a critical perspective on what he terms Chinese global environmentalism—a top-down strategy that blends ecological, economic, and geopolitical goals to reposition China as a leader in green development.

Following the keynote, three thematic sessions were held.
The first session focused on Chinese investment and the role of Chinese financial institutions in Latin American development, particularly in supporting the region’s energy transition. Speakers included Rebecca Ray, Senior Academic Researcher at the Global Development Policy Center at Boston University; Yang Zou and Hanyue Deng, Postdoctoral Researchers at the Public Development Finance Research Program at Peking University; and Kehan Wang, Postdoctoral Researcher at CECHAP, Universidad del Pacífico.

The second session addressed the environmental and social governance challenges in the region, with case studies from Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Colombia. Juliana González, Researcher at FLACSO Argentina; Johannes Rehner, Director of the Institute of Geography at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Cynthia Sanborn, CECHAP Director and Senior Professor of Political Science at Universidad del Pacífico; and Camilo Defelipe, Assistant Professor at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, reflected on the importance of strong regulatory frameworks and inclusive participation mechanisms to ensure that the energy transition is also just. This session was moderated by Juan Luis Dammert, Latin America Regional Director at the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI).

The third session explored the challenges of regional cooperation and the integration of strategic value chains in sectors such as electromobility and critical minerals. Felipe Irarrázaval, Assistant Professor at the Business School of Universidad Mayor (Chile); Martín Obaya, Associate Researcher at CONICET (Argentina); and María Elena Rodríguez, Deputy Director of the BRICS Policy Center at PUC-Rio, shared insights and discussed potential paths toward greater regional integration with a sustainability-oriented vision. The session was moderated by Julie Radomski, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the GDP Center, Boston University.

The project is a joint initiative between CECHAP, the GDP Center at Boston University, and the Public Development Finance Research Program at Peking University. It is generously supported by the Ford Foundation and managed by Alicia Zegarra.

The strong turnout for the event underscores the vital role of academia in advancing the energy transition agenda in Peru and the region—bridging sectors and guiding the generation of knowledge and informed debate.