On the morning of May 31, Mrs.Chen Taotao, Director of Tsinghua University Latin America Center (hereinafter referring to "the center"), and Mr. Carlos Miguel Pereira, Ambassador of Cuba to China met via video. The Political Counselor Mr. Andro Vázquez, the First Secretary Ms. Yohanelis Savigne, and the Third Secretary Ms. Lidicy Ducasse from the Embassy, and the center’s team members also attended the virtual meeting.

Screen shot during event

Chen briefed the Ambassador on the establishment and development of the center, and its current cooperation with Latin American countries. She said that Tsinghua University attaches great importance to developing cooperative relations with Latin American and Caribbean countries. The university is willing to explore with LAC countries the topics of both interests to further carry out concrete cooperation.

“Cuba is well known for its advanced development in many fields, including biology and medicine. I am very glad to see the close cooperation between the two countries in many areas. As Tsinghua University’s liaison office and exchange headquarter in Latin America, the center is willing to make active efforts to establish networks with major universities in Cuba, and gradually develop them through exchanges, so as to promote cooperation in fields of mutual interest such as online education, climate change and technology transfer,” said Chen.

Ambassador Pereira delivers a speech

Ambassador Pereira briefed on the friendly cooperation between China and Cuba. Cuba actively joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative in 2018; the two countries signed a cooperation plan on jointly promoting the initiative in 2021; Cuba formally joined the Belt and Road Energy Partnership in 2021, he said. The two countries have conducted fruitful cooperation in many fields, including vaccine research and development, medical care, culture and tourism, education, economy and trade, science and technology, infrastructure and new energy.

Talking about education, Ambassador Pereira said that there have been profound historical ties and broad cooperation prospects in this field between the two countries. Exchanges between scholars and cooperation in cultivating talents both have played important roles in promoting the friendly relations. He stated that in the future,the Cuban Embassy in China is willing to work with the center to facilitate a platform for exchanges between Cuban universities and Tsinghua University, and to continuously promote and reinforce the bilateral educational cooperation between China and Cuba.