UNAM in China. 50 years of bilateral relations

Relations between Mexico and China during 2022, have strengthened in all areas and have brought multiple benefits to both nations. China’s importance for our country is increasing. According to data from the Ministry of Economy, the Asian nation continues to be Mexico’s first trading partner in the Asia-Pacific region, its second largest trading partner in the world and its third largest export market. Mexico is China’s second largest trading partner in Latin America and the Caribbean, and its relationship is fundamental for China because it is a signatory of the Treaty between Mexico, the United States of America and Canada (T-MEC).

In the 20th century, after the official recognition of the Government of the People’s Republic of China at the UN General Assembly in September 1971, diplomatic relations between Mexico and China were established on February 14, 1972, turning 50 years old this year.

There will be important celebrations around Sino-Mexican relations: the Chinese New Year, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of relations, the Chinese Language Day, and soon, the 10th anniversary of the opening of UNAM’s office in China (Center for Mexican Studies).

CHINESE NEW YEAR
The Spring Festival or Chinese New Year was celebrated on February 1st, at the beginning of the Year of the Tiger, the third animal of the twelve in the Chinese calendar. In Mexico City, thousands of people gathered in the chinese neighborhood, where they had the opportunity to experience the culture and traditions of the Asian country.

The five Confucius Institutes (CI) in Mexico, responsible for teaching Chinese language and disseminating its culture, celebrated this New Year with a variety of activities for the public. UNAM’s National School of Languages, Linguistics and Translation (ENALLT, Spanish initials), in collaboration with UNAM’s Confucius Institute, organized cultural days within the framework of the Spring Festival, in which topics related to traditions, symbolism and even food recipes were discussed, all with the aim of bringing Chinese culture closer to Mexico.

The CIs have been operating in Mexico since 2006. Mexico City has two: the one at UNAM and other Mexico City (Huaxia Chinese Cultural Institute); the Autonomous Universities of Chihuahua, Nuevo León and Yucatán have one CI each.

FIFTY YEARS OF SINO-MEXICAN RELATIONS
February 14 marked half a century since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Mexico and China. Both governments held public events to highlight their strategic partnership. The academia also celebrated this event with the virtual seminar “50 Years of China-Mexico Relations”, organized by UNAM, El Colegio de México and the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana.

UNAM’s Office in China, in collaboration with the School of Political and Social Sciences and the Center for International Relations, participated in the seminar “Half a Century of Diplomatic Relations between Mexico and China”.

CHINESE LANGUAGE DAY
Since 2010, the United Nations established April 20 as Chinese Language Day, as part of efforts to recognize the historical and cultural significance of Mandarin Chinese, one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
The date was chosen in honor of 仓颉 (Cang Jie), a scribe who served the legendary Yellow Emperor. Cang Jie observed patterns in nature that he transmitted through graphic symbols, creating Chinese characters more than five millennia ago, which have evolved and are currently used in mainland China, according to Article 19 of the Political Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, which establishes 普通话 (Mandarin Chinese or Putonghua) as the official language in the Asian giant.

Likewise, the Law on the Standard Language of the People’s Republic of China, in its 2nd Article establishes Mandarin as the national spoken and written language, as well as the official use of standardized (simplified) Chinese characters.

It is worth noting that, according to figures from Ethnologue (2022), Mandarin continues to be the language with the most native speakers in the world, with around nine hundred and twenty million people, followed by Spanish and English. As the language with the most speakers in general, Chinese is second only to English, with a hundred and ninety-nine million non-native speakers in addition to native speakers.

TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF UNAM’S OFFICE IN CHINA
UNAM has become closer to China and, together with other institutions, has joined efforts to overcome the geographic and cultural distance between the two countries. An example of this is UNAM’s Office in China, one of the first abroad under the model of collaboration with an international university, in this case Beijing Foreign Studies University.

This project has managed to intensify cooperation between Mexico and China in academic and cultural activities, since its opening in 2012. One of the events held this year is the presentation of poetry books in languages native to Mexico and Chinese ethnic communities. These works contain the poems of fourteen authors, seven Chinese and seven Mexican, who present among various themes their experience of life and love.

UNAM China is a model of university collaboration between Mexico and China. Its work has increased and positioned the blue and golden university work. The campus has been a bridge between Mexican and Chinese cultures thanks to the development of cultural activities that encompass diverse artistic expressions. And with academic exchanges and the promotion of student mobility, it is possible for both countries to achieve a better understanding, with a view to deepening binational collaboration.

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