FLACSO and BNDES hold the 2nd International Seminar on Contemporary China Studies

Rio de Janeiro, October 2, 2025 – The Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) and the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) are holding the 2nd International Seminar on Contemporary China Studies, under the theme “China, Latin America, and the Caribbean in the New Global Reordering.” The event brought together Brazilian government officials, representatives from the Chinese government, and high-level academics and specialists from Latin America and China.

At the opening, Rebecca Igreja, Secretary-General of FLACSO, highlighted the strategic importance of this dialogue:

We are living in a time of accelerated reordering. Rapid changes in geopolitics, the emergence of new centers of power, the energy transition, disputes over digital technology, and the climate crisis are transforming national and global socio-political and economic dynamics. For Latin America, understanding this transition means revisiting its own trajectory and, based on that, rethinking its positioning in the face of the new reality.

Representing BNDES, Nelson Barbosa emphasized the importance of academic and financial cooperation within the framework of relations between Brazil, Latin America, and China:

China’s growth has been very important for Brazil’s growth. It has supported Brazil on multiple fronts and continues to do so. However, for this integration to be sustainable and progressive, it must go beyond mere complementarity. It needs to be oriented toward productive integration: more intra-industry trade and greater generation of quality jobs in both countries. We are already moving in that direction. Today, we see several Chinese companies investing in Brazil, establishing themselves for industrial production in the country. I believe this is the example we can offer to the world.

According to ECLAC data, trade in goods between Latin America and China increased 35-fold between 2000 and 2022, rising from just over USD 14 billion to nearly USD 500 billion. In the case of Brazil, bilateral trade with China reached USD 181 billion in 2023, with a surplus of approximately USD 63 billion.

The choice of BNDES as the host reflects the interest in deepening the debate on new areas of cooperation, in line with the discussions promoted at the IV Ministerial Meeting of the China–CELAC Forum.

Over the two days of the event, the seminar will bring together researchers, public policy makers, think tank representatives, and members of the private sector to discuss strategic topics organized around four thematic axes: digital sovereignty, the climate crisis, integration routes and regional dilemmas, and cultural, academic, and scientific cooperation. The main reflections will be compiled in a special publication providing input for public policy design and bi-regional cooperation strategies.

The seminar reaffirms FLACSO’s mandate to influence the social and economic development of Latin America and the Caribbean by promoting spaces for academic and political dialogue on the challenges of the new international order.

Watch the full event