Mauricio Percara
Beijing, China
Mauricio Percara is an Argentine journalist, editor, researcher and international consultant based in Beijing, with extensive professional experience across China.
Seen in Spanish.china.org.cn, E-International Relations, China Files +1 more
Confucius Institutes in Argentina and China’s Soft Power Strategy
Reporting style, Informative: Primarily analytical and explanatory, though it draws interpretive conclusions about institutional autonomy and soft power.
Argentina’s five Confucius Institutes operate within a university system shaped by a strong tradition of institutional autonomy. Rather than adopting China’s cultural diplomacy wholesale or rejecting it outright, public universities negotiate institute partnerships individually and retain control over governance, curricula, hiring, and academic collaboration. Activities are often limited to non-degree language courses and cultural events, while concerns about funding transparency and cultural bias are handled through university forums. The Argentine case shows that the effects of soft power depend on host institutions, which can adapt and constrain foreign initiatives while pursuing international cooperation.
China and the United States: From High-Level Dialogue to a More Stable and Predictable Relationship
Reporting style, Interpretive: Commentary presents a favorable, advocacy-oriented view of high-level dialogue and cooperation as a path to greater stability.
Political context, Centre: The article advocates dialogue and cooperation between the two governments without endorsing a partisan political position.
Xi Jinping’s September 23–25 state visit to the United States, following Donald Trump’s visit to China earlier in the year, renewed efforts to build a stable strategic relationship. The leaders endorsed respect, fairness, reciprocity, continued communication, and mechanisms to manage disagreements while allowing competition to persist. Their discussions included a new economic and trade understanding, cooperation and risk dialogue on artificial intelligence, regular government and military contacts, and international issues including the Middle East, Ukraine, and the Korean Peninsula. They also agreed to support one another’s hosting of the 2026 APEC and G20 leaders’ meetings. The article argues that the central challenge is to turn high-level understandings into sustained channels for cooperation and crisis management, rather than expecting differences to disappear.
