The Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI) and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday (June 4) to enhance academic and intellectual exchange between the two think tanks. The partnership aims to develop joint projects, organize seminars, strategic forums, and expand dialogue networks among experts from both countries.
The ceremony took place at CEBRI's new headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, attended by José Pio Borges, Chairman at the Board of Trustees, and Zhao Rui, Vice-President of CASS.
During the meeting, milestones of Sino-Brazilian cooperation convened by CEBRI were highlighted, such as the creation of the China Analysis Group, the course "China Today – Executive Seminar Anna Jaguaribe," and missions conducted in partnership with the Chinese Embassy, which took CEBRI associates to the country for institutional exchanges.
“China is currently Brazil's largest trading partner. But it’s not just that: a broader phenomenon is underway in the Asian continent. Trade with Asia already exceeds that with Europe and the United States, even excluding China and Japan. Therefore, our program, which originally focused on China, is being expanded to encompass all of Asia," emphasized José Pio Borges.
Minister Zhao Rui highlighted the long history of cooperation between the institutions, emphasizing the importance of trly understanding China—a deeper level of knowledge. Subsequently, Ambassador Marcos Caramuru, Trustee Emeritus at CEBRI and Brazil's Ambassador to China (2016-2018), highlighted that the institution has been dedicated to promoting this understanding from the perspective of Chinese experts.
“We have sought to understand China from the perspectives of its academics, making a continuous effort to reach out to and listen to them. We believe this dialogue is essential for achieving mutual understanding,” stated Ambassador Marcos Caramuru.
Representing CEBRI, other attendees included Ambassador Antônio Souza e Silva, Advisory Trustee for Institutional and Government Relations, Luciana Gama Muniz, Project Director, and Isabella Ávila, Project Coordinator.
From CASS, participants included Zhang Zhengwen, President of the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (UCASS), Chai Yu, General Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies, Yang Dian, Deputy General Director of the Institute of Sociology, Xu Qiong, Director of the Division of the Americas and Oceania of the International Cooperation Department, Hu Wei, Assistant Researcher of the General Office, along with researchers Zhou Zhiwei, Zhang Yong, and Han Han from the Institute of Latin American Studies.
CASS is the leading think tank in China, recognized as a top academic organization and a reference center for research in the fields of philosophy and social sciences.
