Course Background

In the past decade, the economic and trade relations between China and Latin America have grown increasingly close. During his visit to Latin America in 2016, President Xi Jinping, in a meeting with the Argentine President in May 2017, emphasized that Latin America is a natural extension of the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2018, the Tsinghua University Latin America Center was established in Santiago, the capital of Chile. The Latin America Center serves as a liaison and exchange base for Tsinghua University in Latin America, supporting the university's core mission of cultivating globally competent talent, and promoting academic research, cultural exchange, and technological innovation cooperation with Latin American countries.

Course Introduction

This series of public lectures is jointly organized by the Tsinghua University Latin America Center and the Tsinghua University Student Global Competence Development Guidance Center. Through this course, students will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the politics, economies, cultures of Latin American countries, and the development of China-Latin America relations. All students interested in Latin America and the Caribbean are welcome to take this opportunity to learn about this distant yet friendly and amiable continent.

For the Spring 2026 semester, the "Exploring Latin America" public lecture series consists of 7 sessions. Chinese participants include Professor Li Ziying from Beijing Foreign Studies University, among others. International participants include Professor Flavia Zacconi from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Paula Carvalho, Associate Researcher at the National Institute of Science and Technology for Public Policy, Strategy and Development (INCT-PPED) of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Professor Enrique Dussel Peters from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Professor Jhon Beens from the Faculty of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), and other university faculty and professors who will deliver special lectures.

A special highlight of this course is that it will invite one or two ambassadors from Latin American countries to China to participate in a "Dialogue at the Summit" on the Tsinghua campus. For the Spring 2026 semester, the course plans to invite the Ambassador of Peru to China and the Ambassador of Dominica to China. The Tsinghua University Latin America Center and the Tsinghua University Student Global Competence Development Guidance Center will jointly host this event.

Information for This SessionLecture Time: 

May 28 (Thursday), 19:00-22:00

Lecture Format: In-person attendance (limited to 10 spots), online attendance (unlimited spots).

Lecture Venue: Jianhua Building, Room A101

Online Link: Tencent Meeting: 565-746-817

Lecture Content: This lecture is divided into two parts:

Part 1: Professor Jhon Beens, from the Faculty of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences at the Central University of Venezuela and researcher at the Venezuela-China Studies Center, will deliver a presentation titled "The development of Venezuela and the impact of recent political events in the country on Venezuela and Latin America," introducing Venezuela's development and the impact of recent political changes on the Latin American region.

Part 2: Professor Ramiro Isidoro Ordoqui, former Deputy Minister of Economy and former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Argentina, and professor at the Universidad Nacional de Lomas de Zamora, will deliver a lecture titled "A new order in Argentina since 2024: From the promise of a 'chainsaw' to the disputed economic experiment under the new framework of the Argentina-USA relation," analyzing the new political and economic landscape in Argentina since 2024 and the changes in its international relations.

Speaker Bios

Professor Jhon Beens

Jhon Beens is a professor at the Faculty of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences, Central University of Venezuela (UCV), and a researcher at the Venezuela-China Studies Center (CVEC). He holds a Bachelor's degree in Statistics from the Central University of Venezuela and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Social Studies of Science and Technology at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC). He currently lectures at the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences (FaCES) of the Central University of Venezuela, primarily teaching Statistics and Mathematics courses.

His main research areas include:

l Demographic Studies: Serves as the coordinator for related research areas at the Venezuela-China Studies Center (CVEC).

l Space Cooperation: Studies geopolitical cooperation between China and Latin America and the Caribbean.

l Public Administration and Planning: Has extensive experience in designing public policy budget management indicators and building statistical information systems.

Professor Ramiro Ordoqui

Ramiro Ordoqui currently serves as an International Affairs Advisor, providing consulting services to local governments and large multinational corporations. He is also a National Public Affairs Auditor and a university professor. He previously served as Secretary of State for Economy and Finance of Argentina, one of the youngest State Secretaries in Argentina's history, and as Deputy Secretary of State for International Economic Relations at the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with long-term experience in international economic relations and diplomatic affairs.

Registration Method

1. Please scan the QR code below to join the "Rain Classroom" platform. The QR code for the WeChat group will be announced in the course announcements on Rain Classroom. Please scan the code promptly to join the WeChat group to receive follow-up lecture information.

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2. Each lecture in this series offers 10 spots for in-person attendance, with unlimited spots for online attendance. Students interested in attending are requested to join the WeChat group and pay attention to the messages within. Registration for weekly lecture spots will be organized via a sign-up thread within the group, and the final registration result will be based on the sign-up list.

3. This lecture series is open only to currently enrolled Tsinghua University students.

4. This event is supported by the Tang Chung Ying Foundation.

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