Poverty reduction remains a pressing challenge for developing nations and a shared responsibility for humanity as a whole. In 2024, Tsinghua University, in partnership with universities across Latin America, launched the “China–Latin America Youth Responding to Global Challenges — Poverty Alleviation Challenge”, initiating a robust dialogue on poverty alleviation led by universities in both regions.
In November of the same year, during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Brazil for the G20 Summit, Qiu Yong, Secretary of the Party Committee of Tsinghua University, and the President of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro signed a cooperation agreement on the “China–Latin America Youth Responding to Global Challenges” iniciative. This agreement was recognized among the key outcomes of President Xi’s state visit to Brazil, marking the initiative as a flagship project led by Tsinghua University with the objective to promote mutually beneficial development between China and Latin America.
In 2025, the poverty alleviation challenge will unfold with a broader vision, deeper cooperation, and a more global perspective, writing a new chapter in its development.
The 2025 Challenge has been supported by the Embassy of China in Brazil, the Consulate General of China in Rio de Janeiro, the Embassy of Brazil in China, the Embassy of China in Chile, and the Embassy of Chile in China.
On the morning of April 11, 2025 (Beijing time), the information session and ice-breaking class of the “China–Latin America Youth Responding to Global Challenges — 2025 Poverty Alleviation Challenge” was successfully held at the Jianhua Building of Tsinghua University. Poverty reduction, as a common challenge for developing countries, is also a topic of great interest among young people worldwide. Since 2024, this university-led dialogue on poverty has gained strong momentum across China and Latin America.
In 2025, Tsinghua University's Challenge further deepened cooperation between China and Latin America by partnering with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the University of the Pacific (Peru), and the mining company Las Bambas to jointly launch the information and ice-breaking session of the 2025 poverty alleviation challenge.
The project aims to offer a platform for intercultural exchange between young people from China and Latin America, encouraging students to draw on their academic backgrounds, learn from one another, and, through the power of youth, seek innovative solutions to the global challenge of poverty reduction.
The Challenge is guided by the Office of International Affairs at Tsinghua University, organized by the Tsinghua University Latin America Center and the Center for Global Competence Development, and co-organized by the China-Latin America Management Studies Center at Tsinghua School of Economics and Management, as well as various faculties and institutions within the University.
This informative session attracted close to 300 academics, students, and business partners from China, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and other countries, who participated both in person and online.
The 2025 Poverty Alleviation Challenge kick-off session was co-chaired by Du Xia from the Research Center for Dynamic Competition and Innovation Strategy at the School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, and Maribel Flórez, Director of Global Learning at the Office of the Vice President for International Affairs at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Representatives from partner universities and collaborating companies were also invited to deliver remarks.
Chen Taotao, professor from the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, Director of the Tsinghua Latin America Center, and Director of the China–Latin America Management Studies Center at the same school, warmly welcomed participants from Tsinghua as well as from universities and partner enterprises across Latin America. She noted that this year’s competition has expanded in scope, drawing not only more faculty and students from a wider range of faculties at Tsinghua, but also incorporating new partners from Peru and the mining company MMG Las Bambas, alongside the existing collaborations in Chile and Brazil.
Professor Chen further emphasized that poverty alleviation is a global challenge and that the accumulated experiences of various countries in this area have not yet been fully shared. She stressed that youth are the central force in this effort, as they carry the responsibility and hope for the future development of poverty reduction case, thus promoting mutual learning among civilizations in the field of global poverty reduction.
Zhang Runzhou, Deputy Director of the Center for Global Competence Development at Tsinghua University, thanked the partners and supporting organizations, praising the successful development of last year’s event, which laid a solid foundation for its current edition. He emphasized the importance of global competence in addressing complex global issues and encouraged young individuals from China and Latin America to cultivate skills in intercultural understanding and communication, develop an open and collaborative mindset, and broaden their global vision and take the initiative to become a positive force in promoting positive change in the world.
Professor Francisco Gallego, from the Economics Department at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development, recalled his experience participating as an expert in the previous edition. He noted that this competition not only focuses on the issue of poverty itself but also provides a platform for presenting innovative solutions, fostering the exchange of ideas among youth from around the world. He also presented the current state of poverty in Chile and Latin America, highlighting the complexity and enduring nature of the fight against poverty, and urged young people from China and Latin America to join efforts in exploring sustainable and effective pathways toward poverty reduction.
Ana Célia Castro, Deputy Director of the Brazilian School of Advanced Studies at UFRJ, Senior Researcher at the Brazilian Center for International Relations, and President of the Brazilian Forum for Advanced Studies, pointed out that this edition of the competition is taking place at a critical juncture, marked by multiple interrelated global crises. She encouraged participants to dive deep into the most recent outcomes of the G20 under Brazil’s presidency, particularly the three key themes outlined in the “G20 Communiqué”: the integration of social protection, food systems, and health; fiscal justice and inclusive development; and global solidarity and innovative cooperation. She called on the youth to promote sustainable development and poverty reduction between China and Latin America through intercultural dialogue.
José Carlos Feliciano Nishikawa, Deputy Director of the Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies at the University of the Pacific in Peru and Professor in the Department of Marketing, International Business, and Engineering, expressed his honor and enthusiasm in participating in the competition for the first time. He noted that the event serves as an important opportunity for students to enhance their global competence, aiding in the formation of a new generation of leaders who possess an intercultural perspective and a thorough understanding of the challenges confronting China and Latin America. He encouraged the youth to participate fully and to welcome the growth and inspiration that the competition provides.
Zhao Jing, President of MMG Las Bambas Peru, spoke on behalf of the participating companies. He expressed that it is an honor for MMG Las Bambas to join this edition of the event, highlighting China’s significant achievements in the global effort to alleviate poverty. He shared the tangible and sustainable contributions that the company’s investment in Peru has made toward the well-being of local communities. Through its participation, MMG Las Bambas hopes to give back to society and collaborate with Chinese and Latin American youth to continue advancing the fight against poverty in the region.
Fang Wei, Deputy CEO of CGE, spoke as representative of the supporting institutions. He shared the philanthropic efforts the company has carried out in Chile over time in support of poverty alleviation. He pointed out that CGE will continue to actively support exchange and collaboration between Tsinghua University and Latin American universities as part of the company’s commitment to social responsibility. He also expressed his hope that the competition would inspire young people from China and Latin America to propose more innovative solutions and drive new progress in the fight against poverty in the region.
The introductory section was co-hosted by Maribel Flórez, director of Global Learning of the Catholic University of Chile and Feng Jian, a PhD student in the Department of Finance at the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University. Together, they outlined the program schedule, the multinational teams building mechanism, and the incentive measures, in order to help participants gain a comprehensive understanding of the participation process and evaluation criteria.
Following this, Feng Jian provided a detailed explanation of the “5W1H+” tool used in the competition. He proposed a four-step approach: “Identify and define poverty (What) – Describe and understand poverty (Who, Where, When) – Analyze and break down poverty (Why) – Address and resolve poverty (How)”. From the perspective of international experience transfer, he emphasized the importance of recognizing both similarities and differences between countries when analyzing poverty scenarios and their underlying causes. He also encouraged participants to draw on local realities to propose more viable solutions.
The next section was dedicated to presenting award-winning proposals from the 2024 edition, aiming to showcase their outstanding results, inspire innovative thinking and practice among new participating teams, and promote experience sharing and creative knowledge transfer. Francisco Molina from the University of Chile and Diego Urcelay from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile presented their award-winning project in poverty alleviation challenge 2024, helping the participating students directly understand how high-quality initiatives can be implemented and developed.
They also shared their exciting experience after winning last year´s competition, which included a study visit to Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province, China. There, they witnessed firsthand and experienced the cultural phenomenon of the“Super League Cun Chao”. From a cultural immersion standpoint, they recounted how the study trip enhanced their global competence and nurtured friendships between youths from China and Latin America.
During the Q&A session, young students from Latin America and China raised questions regarding the formation of international teams and the selection of poverty-related topics. The questions were answered in detail by Professor Chen Taotao, along with doctoral students Feng Jian and Song Qing, helping participants gain a clearer understanding of the competition’s requirements and possible research directions.
At the end of the event, Professor Chen Taotao delivered the final remarks. She noted that while the opening ceremony had concluded, the global journey of youth from China and Latin America toward poverty alleviation was only just beginning. She encouraged participants to focus on real poverty-related issues, make full use of the advantages of multinational teamwork, thoroughly understand poverty alleviation experiences from different countries, and identify exemplary best practices. She placed special emphasis on using the “5W1H+” tool to deeply analyze the logic and key elements of each case, urging young people to strengthen their global competence through international collaboration, and to jointly contribute to building a peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable world.
Special Thanks
We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to State Grid Chile/CGE, Envision Group, and the Luksic Scholars Foundation for their pivotal sponsorship of this event and their unwavering support in making it happen.
We look forward to collaborating with more like-minded partners in the future, jointly exploring innovative avenues for sustainable development, thus contributing to global poverty alleviation and social progress.
