From April 24 to 26, the event titled “China's Trade and Investment in the Americas and the Caribbean: Can the Escazú Agreement Play a Role in Achieving Climate and Biodiversity Outcomes?” was held, organized by Dialogue Earth, Raoul Wallenberg Institute, Núcleo Milenio ICLAC, FLACSO Chile, and the Institute of International Studies at the University of Chile.
The event began with the panel “China and Ecological Transition in Latin America", which took place on April 24 at the Institute of International Studies (IEI). This session featured distinguished panelists who are experts in environmental law and policy, international rights, economics, and ecology. The panel included Zhang Jingjing, environmental lawyer and founder of CTEA; Rubén González, professor at the University of Birmingham (UK) and part of The People’s Map of Global China team; Claudia Ituarte-Lima, international public lawyer and researcher at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute; Juan Enrique Serrano, associate researcher at Núcleo Milenio ICLAC and academic at IEI; and Sam Guell, executive director of Dialogue Earth.
This first panel discussed the environmental situation in Latin America and the current landscape of Chinese investments in the region. China is currently Chile’s main trading partner and is becoming increasingly relevant in the region politically, culturally, and economically. The lithium industry, green hydrogen, and renewable energies are opening new areas of cooperation, where ecological transition is a key component of the future development of this relationship. The volume of Chinese investments in Latin America can be reviewed in detail in the Regional Repository of Chinese Investments in Latin America, developed by ICLAC and The Dialogue.
The event continued with two panels held on April 25 at the Santiago headquarters of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO – CHILE), which addressed, on one hand, China's role in the world and its current relevance, and on the other hand, the Escazú Agreement and its importance as a plurilateral legal instrument recognizing the right to a healthy environment for present and future generations.
The first panel, “China in the World and Why It Matters,” featured experts Malin Oud from the Raoul Wallenberg Institute; Alex Wang, professor of law at the Emmet Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA; Mariana Rudyak, academic expert in international cooperation; Ching Kwan Lee, professor at the University of California; and Sam Guell from Dialogue Earth.
The second panel, “The Escazú Agreement and Why It Matters,” included Claudia Ituarte-Lima (RWI); Ruth Spencer, president of the Marine Ecosystems Protected Areas Foundation (MEPA); Lina Muñoz, lawyer and professor at the University of Rosario, Colombia; Mijael Kaufman, activist lawyer and lecturer; and Rubén González (People’s Map).
Finally, the event concluded with a final activity on April 26 in Cajón del Maipo. This last session consisted first of a Walkshop where key topics from the previous days were discussed, followed by a final co-creative workshop.