Chilean academics call for joint scientific development with China in post-pandemic cooperation

SANTIAGO, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- A group of Chilean academics on Thursday night called for the development of science and technology within the framework of stronger Latin America-China cooperation in the post-pandemic era.

They made the call at the ninth China-Latin America High-Level Forum, a virtual event organized by the University of Santiago de Chile (USACH) together with Chinese institutions as part of the celebrations marking 50 years of diplomatic relations between Chile and China.

Noting Latin America is lagging behind in science and technology development, Jose Luis Valenzuela, an expert from the Andres Bello University of Chile, stressed further needs for regional integration, where China could play a leading role in bridging the divide.

"We need someone to offer us a comprehensive strategic alliance for joint effort, for the development of science and technology, innovation, and the creation of high-tech companies," he said.

China is committed to developing friendly and cooperative relations with other countries based on "sincerity, friendship, equality, mutual respect, and common development," said Valenzuela, while urging more academic exchanges in science and technology between the two countries.

Rosa Basaure, a researcher from USACH, said that "intercultural communication has become a key factor in maintaining a functioning world, considering that people cannot physically travel" due to the pandemic.

Due to the lack of Latin American professionals able to speak Mandarin, academic exchanges have now been conducted mainly in English, she said, calling for more linguistic cooperation in the future.

Monica Ahumada, an expert also from USACH, said that education is one of the areas where there are many cooperation opportunities to be tapped by China and Latin America.

During the pandemic, China has applied various digital platforms such as Tencent Meeting, a cloud conferencing tool, to conduct online education, she said, urging more cooperation between China and Latin America to bridge the "digital divide" in the region.

The China-Latin America High-Level Forum was launched in 2012 by the Institute of Latin American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Social Sciences Academic Press, with the aim of promoting academic exchanges and deepening China-Latin America relations.