China's practice shows economic growth and inclusive sharing can be balanced: Argentine politician and scholar
Ahead of the BRICS Summit, the Global Times held its "Global Times Overseas China Week and Global South Dialogue" in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from June 22 to 28 local time. Dozens of guests from the political, academic, media, and business sectors in China and Latin America gathered together for sincere dialogue, enhancing mutual understanding and promoting exchanges through the clash of ideas. During the event, the Global Times also held a photo exhibition titled "Moving forward together across mountains and seas: a decade of China-LAC sustainable cooperation" at the Iberian-American Center for Science and Technology Innovation (CIICTI) in Buenos Aires, which received widespread attention and positive feedback from various sectors in Argentina.
Daniel Filmus, former Minister of Science and Technology in Argentina and Director of the CIICTI, attended the opening ceremony of the photo exhibition and held a book launch for the Chinese version of "The Voice of Latin America." At the event, Global Times reporters (GT) interviewed the seasoned politician and scholar, who has interviewed dozens of presidents from Latin American countries and has maintained keen insights into the modernization processes of these nations, to share his views on the Chinese model. In Filmus's opinion, China's practice demonstrates that economic growth and inclusive sharing can be balanced, and the global vision proposed by China is crucial for Latin American countries.
GT: Firstly, congratulations on the successful launch of your new book - the Chinese edition of The Voice of Latin America. We understand that this book is based on a television program you hosted over a decade ago, where you interviewed more than 10 Latin American presidents. Although a long time has passed, reading this book now still made me feel it is very beneficial for me to deeply understand current Latin American politics. What motivated you to write this book? What core messages do you hope to convey to Chinese readers through it?
Filmus: It was a moment that needed to be captured. For the first time, the presidents of Latin America closely resembled their people. Lula in Brazil was a laborer. Evo Morales in Bolivia was the first president of indigenous origin. There were women presidents. There was even a priest-president in Paraguay-Lugo. There were also presidents like Correa and Chávez, who truly responded to the people's interests. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview all of them, and to create a TV series that later became a book.
The publication seeks to provide first-person perspectives on the challenges of The main objective of the Chinese edition of the book is to bring readers closer to the Latin American reality. China is Latin America's main economic partner, but our people still have little knowledge of a reality so geographically distant. The presidents' accounts describe the life and history of our peoples in first-person detail. Through reading it, I hope Chinese readers will feel much closer to our problems and challenges, as well as closer to the shared sense of peace and friendship.
GT: In this book, almost all the interviewed presidents discussed the issues of poverty and inequality facing Latin America. Where do you believe the root causes of these problems lie? What lessons can Latin America learn from China's development model and successful experiences?
Filmus: The main cause of Latin America's poverty and inequality problems lies in the fact that the economic and social structures built through colonization and subsequent dependence on central countries have not yet been transformed. That is why the presidents featured in the book prioritize industrial development and the contribution of science and technology to achieve an economy that better distributes the benefits of that growth.
The Chinese example shows us that it is possible to grow and ensure that growth benefits everyone. China's development in recent decades shows that enormous growth can be combined with a targeted effort to lift people-especially rural populations-out of poverty. China's vision for the world-through the Global South and BRICS-is important to us. It proposes a development model without a global division of labor where some only supply raw materials and others make technology. We believe in integration, where Chinese-developed technology can be shared to benefit all countries.
GT: Regional unity is also a key theme in this book. As an important member of the Global South, China shares extensive common interests and cooperation space with Latin American and Caribbean countries in many areas. In the face of US interference in Latin America, what significance do you think deepening China-Latin America cooperation has for maintaining regional unity? How do you think of the three major global initiatives (Global Development Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and Global Security Initiative) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping on the development of Latin America?
Filmus: During that same decade, Latin America created CELAC and UNASUR-two major regional organizations without US participation. For the first time, Latin America and the Caribbean countries organized themselves independently. These organizations, especially the UNASUR reflected a unified Latin American voice, a desire for a shared future, and a multilateral approach.
Latin America had long been seen as the backyard of the US. But these presidents-many of whom are still influential today-never imagined tying Latin America's destiny solely to that of the regional superpower.
Ideas about Global South cooperation matter deeply to us. As Argentinians, we're very disappointed that our current government is withdrawing from BRICS. That's a huge setback. Argentina's main economic partners are Brazil and China. BRICS includes the biggest markets in the world. As an exporting country, we should be in that common market and partnership.
Most Latin American countries believe in multilateralism. In this regard, they consider the initiatives launched by President Xi to be important contributions to the sustainable growth of countries with the greatest development needs, to bringing together nations with very different traditions and histories but a shared vision for the future, and to building a more collaborative and peaceful world. At a time when humanity is in such turmoil and facing such a high risk of war, these three initiatives contribute to generating a universal culture of development, sustainability, and peace.
GT: You visited China twice, in 2008 and 2023, while serving as Argentina's Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, respectively. What impressions did these two visits leave on you, and what differences and changes did you observe?
Filmus: During both of my trips to China, I spent most of the time working and had little chance to explore the country, but I read a lot about and study China. At the center I direct, we're conducting several studies on China, primarily to learn from its experiences. For example, how China used digital and ICT technologies, alongside major public infrastructure, to lift hundreds of millions out of poverty and how China applied these technologies-especially recently, artificial intelligence-to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) grow. SMEs are the primary employers in Latin America. So we're focusing on that.
As a former Minister of Science and Technology in Argentina, the main impression China left on me is that China is invested in education, science, and technology-and in transferring that knowledge to production to improve people's lives.
Thirty years ago, South Korea was more developed than China-perhaps similar to Argentina at one point. But through heavy investment in science and tech, Korea surged ahead. Today, China rivals or exceeds that. The key was its investment in education, science, and tech. That's a vital lesson for us. So in general-not just for Argentina, but for China and Latin America-I believe that scientific and technological cooperation is one of the most important tools for integration.
GT: In a media interview, you mentioned that China has undergone profound developmental changes, but the most important aspect is the advancement of technology. In our conversations with local people, we also found that technology is a frequently mentioned key word. Many Argentinians affirm and appreciate China's technological progress and industrial upgrading. Could you share the current status of cooperation between China and Argentina in the field of technology? What do these highlights of cooperation reflect? How do you think technological cooperation contributes to strengthening China-LAC relations?
Filmus: In terms of scientific cooperation, Argentina and China have a long history that began with the recovery of Argentine democracy in the mid-1980s when the first agreements were signed. In 2004, President Néstor Kirchner visited Beijing, and agreements were signed that allowed for the first steps of effective collaboration. During those years, as Minister of Education, Science, and Technology, I initiated a significant number of initiatives that deepened the bond between our countries. In the following years, decisive progress was made in implementing cooperation. The agreement signed between CONICET and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2005 marked the beginning of a joint effort that continues to this day.
In 2021, we created the Binational Chinese-Argentine Center for Innovation Policy Studies in Science and Technology with the aim of addressing technological changes and innovation strategies and promoting development. In 2023, after visiting China, we further strengthened our work in the areas of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Biomedicine, Astronomy, Space Studies, Polar and Environmental Studies, and doubled our efforts to enable more young Argentines and Chinese to engage in educational and labor exchanges.
No one will dispute that the China represents one of the most significant social experiences in the history of humanity. Over time, it has demonstrated a remarkable capacity to generate diverse systems of government and models of political, cultural, and economic organization, accompanying-and in many cases, challenging-the historical contexts and changes of eras. Today, China once again proposes to the world a strategic dialogue aimed at rethinking the future of the international system in the medium and long term-the Belt and Road Initiative.
In this framework, in the institutional mission of the CIICTI, we have set out to resume the long tradition of scientific and technological cooperation with China. We are developing joint research with academic institutions and universities in China on the comparative experience with Latin America in the inclusion of digital technologies in poverty eradication and the introduction of new automation technologies. We must pay close attention to the Chinese experience in these and other issues related to economic development and social integration.