Lin Jianhua, Vice President of the Academy of Marxism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Leads a Delegation to Cuba for Academic Exchanges
From December 3 to December 8, 2023, Lin Jianhua, Vice President of the Institute of Marxism Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), led a delegation to Cuba for academic exchange visits. Members of the delegation included Professor Gong Yun, Secretary of the Party Committee of the CASS Institute of Finance and Banking; Professor He Xinyuan, Deputy Director of the Department of the Sinicization of Marxism at the Institute of Marxism Studies; and Researcher He Qin from the Department of International Communist Movements.
On the morning of December 5, the delegation first visited the Raúl Roa García Higher Institute of International Relations (ISRI). Rogelio Sierra Díaz, former Vice Foreign Minister of Cuba and Rector of the Institute, and Ambassador Eumelio Caballero Rodríguez, Director of the International Relations Department, introduced the life of the institute's founder, Dr. Raúl Roa García, and the history of the institute to the delegation. Dr. Raúl Roa García was Cuba's first Minister of Foreign Affairs; he visited China in 1960 and was cordially received by Chairman Mao. The institute is a professional think tank and teaching-research institution specializing in international issues under the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its primary research areas include Marxist theory, world history, and international politics. It offers graduate courses related to diplomacy, such as Marxism, international relations, and national and regional studies, as well as training for diplomatic personnel. The institute consists of four research departments—History and Marxism, International Issues, Foreign Services, and Foreign Languages—along with departments for undergraduate and graduate education.
The photo shows Rector Sierra (second from left) and Director Caballero (first from left) introducing the institute’s history exhibition panels to the delegation.
Vice President Lin Jianhua, head of the delegation, briefed Rector Díaz on the organizational structure, research achievements, journal publications, platform construction, and foreign exchanges of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, and expressed gratitude for the academic support the institute has provided to our institute. Secretary Gong Yun introduced the basic situation of the CASS Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the primary concerns of the delegation's visit to Rector Díaz. Dr. Manuel Carbonell Vidal, Vice Rector in charge of teaching, briefed the delegation on the institute's graduate education. Vice President Lin Jianhua put forward several suggestions for establishing mechanized cooperation between the two sides in the future, reaching a high level of consensus with the Cuban side. Preliminary discussions were held on specific matters such as joint graduate student training and cooperation in journal publishing.
The photo shows the delegation in a symposium with scholars from the Institute’s Department of History and Marxism.
During the visit, the delegation also held warm and in-depth exchanges with Professor María Elena Alvarez Acosta and other experts and scholars from the institute’s Department of History and Marxism. They discussed the reception of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in Cuba and Latin America, the participation of Cuba and Latin American countries in the joint construction of the Belt and Road [1], and the promotion of a community with a shared future for humanity by Cuba and Latin American countries.
The photo shows the delegation with Rector Sierra (fifth from left), Vice Rector Carbonell (sixth from right), Professor Alvarez (second from left), and other experts and scholars.
On the morning of December 5, at the invitation of Dr. René González Barrios, Director of the Fidel Castro Center and a renowned Cuban historian, the delegation held an academic visit to the Fidel Castro Center.
The photo shows the delegation visiting the Fidel Castro Center.
Entrusted by Director González, Researcher Octavio Pérez Marrero briefed the delegation on the center's founding history and research overview. The center was established on November 25, 2021, on the fifth anniversary of Fidel Castro's death. Cuban revolutionary leader Raúl Castro, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel, and Venezuelan President Maduro attended the opening ceremony. The center is the only official comprehensive cultural institution established in Cuba to research and propagate the thought of Fidel Castro. It houses a publishing house, an audiovisual production department, and a research department. The delegation also exchanged views with Researcher Pérez on the general situation of Fidel Castro studies in Cuba and globally, as well as intentions for collaborative research.
The photo shows Vice President Lin Jianhua and Secretary Gong Yun with Researcher Pérez.
Led by a center staff member, the delegation visited specialized exhibitions and video displays regarding Fidel Castro’s personal growth, the achievements of Cuban socialist construction, and Cuban internationalist actions.
The photo shows the delegation visiting the Fidel Castro documentary exhibition.
On the afternoon of December 5, at the invitation of Dr. José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez, Director of the Center for International Policy Research (CIPI), the delegation conducted an academic visit to the center and held a symposium with scholars from the Asia-Pacific Department, including Researcher Ruvislei González Sáez. Researcher González is the coordinator of the Cuban branch of the Latin American Association of Afro-Asian Studies, a member of the working group for the "Belt and Road" Initiative integration under the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment, and Vice President of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association. In recent years, he has closely followed the development experiences and achievements of socialist countries such as China and Vietnam, publishing numerous articles on the CPC's experience in governance [2], Vietnamese socialism, and Asia-Pacific issues. He has frequently been invited to participate in academic exchanges organized by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee and CASS, and has been interviewed by domestic academic journals such as Marxist Studies and the Chinese Social Sciences Today (中国社会科学报), as well as Chinese media outlets like CGTN and Xinhua News Agency.
The photo shows the delegation in a symposium with scholars from the center’s Asia-Pacific Research Department.
Vice President Lin Jianhua first introduced the organizational structure, research and teaching, journal publishing, forum establishment, and foreign exchanges of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies to Researcher González and other participating scholars, expressing gratitude for the academic support provided to our institute. Vice President Lin stated that Cuban socialism is a vital component of contemporary world socialism, and strengthening exchanges and mutual learning with Cuba’s Marxist theoretical and social science circles is significantly important for our institute's research on international communist movements and world socialism. Researcher González thanked our institute for building a series of important academic exchange platforms for Chinese and foreign Marxist and left-wing scholars, and briefed the delegation on the center’s recent foreign academic exchanges and journal publications. The center is a professional think tank for international issues under the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a member of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), and jointly trains graduate students with some Cuban universities. The academic journal Notes on Our America and the Strategic Studies Forum hosted by the center have extensive influence in Latin America and the Caribbean. In August 2023, the center hosted the 8th Strategic Studies Forum themed "Changing International Order: Transition Challenges and Southern Opinions."
The delegation also engaged in deep exchanges with the participating scholars on issues such as the updating process of the Cuban model [3], comparative studies of socialist countries, the Latin American left and 21st-century socialism, the achievements and global significance of Chinese-path modernization, and the construction of a China-Cuba community of shared future. Regarding the current economic situation in Cuba, Researcher González stated that the updating of the Cuban economic model faces significant challenges; the US blockade policy against Cuba has exacerbated development difficulties. The Cuban Party and government will continue to deepen the updating of the socialist model and make every effort to guarantee social livelihoods. Dr. Jesús Aise Sotolongo, former Cuban Ambassador to North Korea and Senior Researcher on Asia-Pacific issues at the center, briefed the delegation on the achievements and national characteristics of North Korean socialist construction. Rachel Margarita Arencibia Casanova, a junior researcher at the center, introduced the general organization of the Young Communist League of Cuba, the foreign academic exchanges of young Cuban scholars, and her experience participating in the China-Cuba youth "Bridge to the Future" exchange activity.
The photo shows the delegation with Ambassador Aise (third from right), Researcher González (fourth from right), and other scholars.
Both sides stated that they would continue to deepen and expand academic cooperation, promote academic exchanges between scholars and graduate students, and strengthen joint research on major theoretical and practical issues of mutual concern, such as socialist modernization, China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its three global initiatives [4], the Global South, and the reform of the global governance system. After the meeting, both sides exchanged academic works and journals.
The photo shows Vice President Lin Jianhua with Researcher González.
On the morning of December 6, the delegation visited Cuban agricultural markets, state-owned stores, and community clinics to conduct research on currency consolidation, private sector development, and livelihood guarantees since the updating of the Cuban economic model. The delegation learned that since the update of the Cuban model, reform of ownership structures has continued, and the private economy has developed to some extent. The currency consolidation since 2021 has triggered inflation, impacting prices and resident incomes, and the shortage-economy [5] situation in Cuba remains to be improved.
The delegation inspects a Cuban agricultural market and a state-owned grain and oil store.
On the afternoon of December 6, the delegation visited the José Martí National Library of Cuba, the University of Havana, the Office of the Havana City Historian, and the José Martí Primary School to examine the construction of Cuban socialist ideology and culture. The delegation learned that since the victory of the Cuban Revolution, the Cuban Party and government have attached great importance to socialist ideological and cultural construction. They have not only established a high-level system of free universal education but also built world-class cultural venues such as the José Martí National Library. Cuba has accumulated valuable historical experience in inheriting and promoting its national cultural traditions, building an advanced socialist culture, and promoting core socialist values, which is worthy of study and reference.
The delegation visits the José Martí National Library and the University of Havana.
The year 2023 marks the 63rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cuba. The two parties and two countries are good friends who trust each other, good comrades with shared aspirations, and good brothers who share weal and woe. In recent years, through the joint efforts of both sides, the relationship between the two parties and two countries has entered a new historical stage of comprehensive deepening of friendly cooperation. This visit has further consolidated and expanded the academic ties between our institute and the Marxist theoretical and social science circles of Cuba. Both sides will work together to promote the process of socialist modernization in the 21st century and the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity through theoretical exchange and mutual learning.
(Contributed by He Qin)