“WemetwiththeauthoritiesoftheConfuciusInstitutes(Hanban)tohelpusfindwaystodidacticallyincorporatethelanguagesothattheteacherscanstartteachingassoonaspossible,”saidMuñoz.Uruguay’sgloballeadershippushtoincludeChineseinprimaryeducationwillallowChinatoseehowwellforeignchildrenassimilatethelanguage.Currently,thereisgreatdemandforlearningChineseinUruguay.Amongtheimmediateplans,MuñozhighlightedtheupcomingvisittoChinabyagroupofUruguayanchil-dren.“WearegoingtosendelementaryschoolstudentsduringtheirwinterbreaktostudyataninstituteoftheBeijingForeignStudiesUniversity.Wethinkitwillbeinterestingforthechildrenandinformativefortheteachers.”MariaJuliaMuñoz,MinisterofEducationandCultureofUruguay(center),JingWei,deputydirectorofHanban(right),andFernandoLugris,Uruguay’sambassadortoChina,meetattheHanbanheadquarters.
StudyandResearch
TheinaugurationoftheCenterforUruguayanStudiesonApril24,thefirstofitskindinChina,hasbeenanunquestionableadvanceforunderstandingbetweenbothnations.DedicatedmainlytothestudyandresearchofSino-Uruguayanrelations,politics,economy,culture,tourism,andforeignrelationsoftheLatinAmericancountry,theCenterisbasedattheBeijingJiaotongUniversity.
Thisuniversityhasahistoryofmorethan120years.ItwasoneofthefirstinstitutionsofhighereducationinChinatoofferclassesrelatedtothetransportsectorandhasestablishedstudycentersonhigh-speedtrainsincountriessuchasRussia,theU.K.,theU.S.,andIndonesia.“Theinaugurationofthecenterisaveryimportantstepindevelopingthestrategicpartnershipbetweenthetwocountries,”saidtheUruguayanMinisterofEducationandCulture.
LanHu,deputydirectoroftheDepartmentofLatinAmericanandCaribbeanAffairsoftheMinistryofForeignAffairsofChina,stressedthatthecreationofthecenteristhenewfruitborneofculturalexchangesthatalsoreflecttheincreasinglycloserelationsofChinaandUruguay.Forhispart,NingBin,PresidentofBeijingJiaotongUniversity,valuedthefoundationofthecenterasanopportunitytocollaborate,buildplatforms,andshareresourcesthatwillhelpstrengthenlinksineducationandtransport.
“Themissionofourcenteristoconvertthethousandsofkilometersthatseparatethetwocountriesintothousandsoftiesthatlinkthetwopeoples,”directoroftheCenterforUruguayanStudiesYanXuedongsaid.“WehopetobuildafriendlyandcomprehensivebridgeintheframeworkofinternationalcooperationoftheBeltandRoad.”
AnUnprecedentedJourney
MinisterMuñozhighlightedtheincreasednumberofscholarshipsandopportunitiesthatareavailableforUruguayanswhoplantostudyinChina.ThisishersecondvisittotheAsiancountry,thefirstwas20yearsagoandthechangesshehasnoticedhavebeenquitestark.“Chinahascompletelytransformed.WevisitedtheCGTNtelevisionchannel(ChinaGlobalTelevisionNetwork)anditismagnificent.IwasonChinaRadioInternational,whereLauraOliverainterviewedus,aUruguayanjournalistwhohasbeenworkinginChinaforalongtime.”
ThesigningofanagreementfortheestablishmentofaculturalcenterofChinainUruguayopensupnewopportunitiesforexchangesandcollaborations.“WehavesignedanagreementtofacilitatetheestablishmentofaChineseculturalcenterinourcountrytoraiseawarenessofChineseculture.WehopethisyeartheChinesepresidentwillcometoUruguayandthatmoreexchangesofartistsandstudentsfrombothcountrieswilltakeplace.”
Theinaugurationoftheexhibition“UruguayinGuaraní:ArtandCraftsfromthe16thCenturytothe21stCentury”,onApril20attheNationalArtMuseumofChina(NAMOC)waslovedbythosewhoattended.“Theexhibition,asanimportanteventofthecelebrationsforthe30thanniversaryofdiplomaticrelationsbetweenChinaandUruguay,hashadawidesocialattraction,”saidWuWeishan,directorofNAMOC.
The158worksthatmakeuptheexhibitionincludewoodcarvings,handicrafts,andartworkbelongingtomuseums,privatecollections,nationalinstitutions,artists,andmembersoftheMbyá-Guaranícommunities.“WearepleasedtobringtotheChinesepublicpartofthehistoryofouroriginsandwehopethatNAMOCcanbepresentinUruguaytoshowthefineartsofChina,longawaitedbytheUruguayanpublic,”saidtheUruguayanambassadortoChina,FernandoLugris.
TheNAMOC,theMuseumofPreColumbianandIndigenousArtofUruguay(MAPI),andtheEmbassyofUruguayinChinasponsoredtheexhibition.FacundodeAlmeida,directorofMAPI,stressedthattheexhibitionisonlythebeginningofculturalcommunicationthatwillcontinuewithapresentationinMontevideothatwillshareChineseculturewiththepublic.TheinaugurationoftheCenterforUruguayanStudies,thefirstofitskindinChina,isanunquestionableadvancefortheunderstandingbetweenChinaandUruguay.Long-termCulturalConnection
ThegovernmentsofChinaandUruguaylookfavorablyonthefrequentandactiveculturalexchangesoverrecentyears.SuchisthepassionfortheChineselanguageintheLatinAmericancountrythatMinisterMuñozrecognizesthattherearemanymoreactivitiesandlecturesthattheConfuciusInstitutewouldliketohostbuthasn’tbeenabletoduetohandlingthecurrentdemandofitsstudents.Toalleviatethis,theUruguayanauthoritieshopetohavethesupportofChinatoopenConfuciusInstitutesinotherprovincesthroughoutthecountry.Togetherwithuniversitystudents,manyUruguayanbusinessmenhavealsobeenveryinterestedinlearningChinese.AccordingtotheXinhuanewsagency,since2012ChinahasbeenthelargesttradingpartnerofUruguayandthevolumeofbilateraltradereachedUS$4.8billionin2017,almost40timesthatregisteredin1988,theyearinwhichdiplomatictiesbetweenthetwonationsbegan.
DuringherofficialvisittoChina,MinisterMuñozinauguratedtheheadquartersoftheUruguayandiplomaticlegationinBeijing,theTatú-MulitaCulturalCenter(nameofindigenousanimalsofUruguay)andtheLacyDuarteSpace.“DuartewasaverybelovedartistinUruguay,awomanwhowasborntoapoorhomeandwho,usingChinesepapersenttoherfromChina,begantodrawpicturesinwhichsheportrayedthesituationofthepoorinUruguay,”Muñozrecalled.ThehopeisthatthisspacewillbeusedbyUruguayanartistsandentrepreneurstopromotetheircountryandallowthemeetingbetweenbothcountries.
Duringheractivity-filleddaysspentinBeijing,theministersignedtwomemorandaofunderstandingwiththeChineseMinistryofScienceandTechnologyandMinistryofCultureandTourism.Thefirstisdedicatedtocooperationinscience,technology,andinnovationinareasofcommoninterest.ThesecondagreestoopenaChineseculturalcenterinUruguay.Thelatterrecognizestheimportantcooperationagreementssignedsincetheestablishmentofthestrategicpartnership,whichdemonstratestheexcellentstateofcurrentculturalrelationsbetweenbothcountries.MuñozalsovisitedtheJintaiArtMuseumandmadeafloralofferingbeforethebustoftheUruguayanheroJoséArtigas,inauguratedbyPresidentTabaréVázquezinOctober2016.
“WewanttheNationalBalletofSodretoarriveinChina,underthedirectionofmaestroIgorYebra,”saidtheMinisterofEducationandCultureofUruguay.Shementionedhercountry’sinterestinhavingmorebooksbynationalauthorstranslatedandpublishedinChina,andvice-versa.
TheseedsoffriendshipbetweenUruguayandChinahavebeguntobearfruit.After30yearsofexchangesandmutualrespect,thedesiretoperfectandimprovewitheachstepgrows.ThegovernmentsofbothnationsagreewiththevisionofthegreatUruguayanwriterEduardoGaleano:“Thereisauniqueplacewhereyesterdayandtodaymeet,recognize,andembraceeachother.Thatplaceistomorrow.”C