On the afternoon of December 6th, the Tsinghua University Latin America Center was inaugurated in Santiago, Chile. This is an important measure undertaken by Tsinghua University to promote the implementation of the global strategy and marks the temporary end of the overseas layout of the global strategy. Former President of Chile Eduardo Frei, Chairman of the Luksic Group Andrónico Luksic, President of the APEC CEO Summit 2019 Jean-Paul Luksic, representatives of the Luksic family, the Chinese Ambassador to Chile Xu Bu and other guests attended the ceremony held at the Chinese Embassy in Chile.

The Tsinghua University Latin America Center is located in a modern building in the central business district of Santiago, Chile. The center will act as the contact and exchange base of Tsinghua University in Latin America to serve as the central base for talent cultivation by Tsinghua University, as well as the development of academic research and exchanges in the humanities with Latin American countries. As one of Tsinghua University's overseas locations, the Latin America Center will contribute to the cultivation of global competence among the students of Tsinghua University, the development of global research, and the establishment of global cooperation and its world reputation.

President Qiu Yong said that openness and innovation are the two greatest characteristics of the 21st century. Universities should keep pace with the trend of the times by continuing to be open and innovative, and shoulder the great responsibility of promoting social progress and the development of human civilization. In 2016, Tsinghua University formulated its first global strategy in the history of the university, and is speeding up the building of world-class universities and world-class disciplines. He emphasized that "first-class" should embody its leading role in science, technology, ideology and culture, its uniqueness in university management concepts and development, and its outstanding contribution to the country and the world. Tsinghua University will strive to achieve the heights of a first-class university in the process of serving the country, and make greater contributions to the development of mankind, while striving to promote the worldwide exchange in the humanities and technology.

President Qiu stressed that the relationship between China and Latin America is at its best in history. The Tsinghua University Latin America Center will surely play an important role in contributing to the promotion of exchanges and cooperation between scholars, government officials and entrepreneurs from Tsinghua University and Latin American countries, the promotion of cultural exchanges between young students from China and Latin American countries, the strengthening of the links between Tsinghua alumni in Latin America and the continuous contribution of alumni to local economic development. There is infinite space for development in cooperation between China and Chile, and between China and Latin America. Tsinghua University will also take part in continuously making new contributions to the creation of a better world, the ever-lasting friendship between China and Latin America, the implementation of the Belt and Road initiative, and the building of a community of a shared future for mankind.

Andrónico Luksic thanked Tsinghua University for its trust in the Luksic family and Chile. The Luksic family has a long history of contacts with China and has established more than 10 years of cooperation with Tsinghua University. He said that Latin America needs to work with world-class universities to meet the challenges it faces. The establishment of the Tsinghua University Latin America Center is an important step in facing these challenges. He believed that the center would become a new starting point for academic research, as well as establishing an academic bridge connecting China and Latin America, promoting the exchange of talents between China and Latin America, and promoting the establishment of a better and challenging world.

Xu Bu said that Tsinghua University is a well-known university in China and around the world. The establishment of the Latin America Center in Chile is a major event for cooperation between China and Chile. It will certainly promote exchanges and cooperation in science, technology and the humanities between the Chinese and Latin American peoples. He believed that under the joint leadership of the leaders of the two countries, the comprehensive partnership between China and Chile would create a new situation and achieve new development.

At the ceremony, President Qiu and Andrónico Luksic also signed a cooperation agreement on behalf of the two sides. According to the agreement, the Luksic Group will provide corresponding support to the Tsinghua University Latin America Center.

With the establishment of the Tsinghua University Latin America Center, related activities have been launched one after another. From December 5th to 6th, President Qiu led a delegation to visit the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the University of Chile, the Universidad del Desarrollo and the Andrés Bello National University to sign agreements on cooperation and exchange. The China-Chile Forum: Chilean Innovation Strategy and Chinese Experience in Digital Transformation, co-sponsored by Tsinghua University and País Digital Foundation, attracted the participation of representatives from political, academic and business circles of China and Chile. Tsinghua University held dialogues and discussions with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean on the experience, challenges and responses of digital transformation, and with the CORFO (Corporación de Fomento de la Producción) on the production mechanism of Chile and China.

Since 2006, Tsinghua University has developed cooperation with Chile in many aspects. In addition to student exchange projects, it has established the Center for Chinese-Latin America Management Studies to strengthen research and academic exchanges in management, as well as related scientific and technological cooperation among teachers from China and from Chile and Latin America.

Writer: Wilson Khor

Editors: John Olbrich, Guo Lili

Source: Tsinghua University News