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 an academic exchange visit. Members of the delegation included Professor Gong Yun, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Finance and Banking of CASS; Professor He Xinyuan, Deputy Director of the Department of the Sinicization of Marxism at the Institute of Marxism Studies; and He Qin, a researcher from the Department of the International Communist Movement.
On the morning of December 5, the delegation first visited the "Raúl Roa García" Higher Institute of International Relations (ISRI). Rogelio Sierra Díaz, Rector of the Institute and former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, and Ambassador Eumelio Caballero Rodríguez, Director of the International Relations Department of the Institute, introduced the delegation to the life of the Institute's founder, Dr. Raúl Roa García, and the history of the institution. 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 specialized think tank and teaching-research institution focused on international issues under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba. Its primary research fields include Marxist theory, world history, and international politics. It offers graduate courses related to diplomacy—such as Marxism, international relations, and country and regional studies—as well as training for diplomatic personnel. The Institute consists of four research departments—History and Marxism, International Issues, Foreign Service, and Foreign Languages—along with departments for undergraduate and graduate education.
(In the photo: Rector Sierra [second from left] and Director Caballero [first from left] introduce the delegation to the Institute’s history exhibition panels)
Vice President Lin Jianhua, head of the delegation, briefed Rector Díaz on the basic profile of the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS, including its organizational structure, research outputs, journal publications, platform construction, and external exchanges, while expressing gratitude for the academic support the Institute has provided to our academy. Secretary Gong Yun introduced Rector Díaz to the general situation of the CASS Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the primary objectives of the delegation’s visit. Dr. Manuel Carbonell Vidal, Vice Rector in charge of teaching, introduced the delegation to the Institute's graduate education programs. Vice President Lin Jianhua offered several proposals for developing institutionalized cooperation between the two sides in the future, reaching a high degree of consensus with the Cuban side. Preliminary discussions were held on specific matters such as joint graduate student training and cooperation in journal publication.
(In the photo: The delegation holds a symposium with scholars from the Institute’s Department of History and Marxism)
During the visit, the delegation also engaged in warm and in-depth exchanges with experts and scholars, including Professor María Elena Alvarez Acosta of the Department of History and Marxism, regarding 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," and the promotion of building a community with a shared future for humanity by Cuba and Latin American nations.
(In the photo: The delegation poses for a group photo 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 paid an academic visit to the Fidel Castro Center.
(In the photo: The delegation visits the Fidel Castro Center)
Entrusted by Director González, researcher Octavio Pérez Marrero introduced the delegation to the center’s founding history and research overview. The center was established on November 25, 2021, on the fifth anniversary of the passing of Fidel Castro. Raúl Castro, leader of the Cuban Revolution; Miguel Díaz-Canel, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of Cuba; and Nicolás Maduro, President of Venezuela, attended the opening ceremony. The center is the only comprehensive cultural institution officially established by 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 current state of Fidel Castro studies in Cuba and globally, as well as intentions for joint research.
(In the photo: Vice President Lin Jianhua and Secretary Gong Yun pose for a photo with researcher Pérez)
Guided by center staff, the delegation toured thematic exhibitions and video displays concerning Fidel Castro's personal growth, the achievements of Cuban socialist construction, and Cuba's internationalist actions.
(In the photo: The delegation visits the documentary exhibition on Fidel Castro)
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 serves as the coordinator of the Cuban branch of the Latin American Association of Afro-Asian Studies, a member of the working group for the integration of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment into the "Belt and Road" Initiative, and Vice President of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association. In recent years, he has paid close attention to the developmental experiences and achievements of socialist countries such as China and Vietnam, publishing numerous articles on the CPC’s experience in governing the country, 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 Chinese Social Sciences Today, as well as Chinese media outlets like CGTN and Xinhua News Agency.
(In the photo: The delegation holds a symposium with scholars from the center’s Asia-Pacific Research Department)
Vice President Lin Jianhua first introduced researcher González and other participating scholars to the Institute of Marxism Studies’ organizational structure, research and teaching, journal publications, forum establishment, and external exchanges, and expressed gratitude for the center's academic support. Vice President Lin stated that Cuban socialism is a vital component of world socialism today, and that strengthening exchanges and mutual learning with the Cuban Marxist theoretical circle and social science community is of great significance for our Institute's research on the international communist movement 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 external academic exchanges and journal publications. The center is a specialized think tank under the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs engaged in international issue research, a member unit of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), and jointly trains graduate students with several Cuban universities. The academic journal Notes on Our America and the Strategic Research Forum hosted by the center have extensive influence in the Latin American and Caribbean regions. In August 2023, the center held the Eighth Strategic Research Forum under the theme "Changes in International Order: Transformation Challenges and Southern Opinions."
The delegation also conducted in-depth exchanges with the scholars on issues such as Cuba's model updating process [1], 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 with a shared future. Discussing Cuba's current economic situation, researcher González noted that the updating of the Cuban economic model faces significant challenges, as the U.S. blockade policy has exacerbated Cuba's developmental difficulties; the Cuban Party and government will continue to deepen the updating of the socialist model and make every effort to guarantee social welfare. Dr. Jesús Aise Sotolongo, former Cuban Ambassador to North Korea and senior researcher on Asia-Pacific issues at the center, briefed the delegation on North Korea's achievements in socialist construction and its national characteristics. Rachel Margarita Arencibia Casanova, a junior researcher at the center, introduced the general situation of the Young Communist League of Cuba, the external academic exchanges of young Cuban scholars, and her experiences participating in the "Bridge of the Future" exchange activity for Chinese and Cuban youth.
(In the photo: The delegation poses for a group photo with Ambassador Aise [third from right], researcher González [fourth from right], and other scholars)
Both sides expressed that they would continue to deepen and expand academic cooperation in the future, promoting strengthened academic exchanges between scholars and graduate students from both sides. They agreed to bolster 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 [2], the Global South, and the reform of the global governance system. After the meeting, the two sides exchanged academic works and journals.
(In the photo: Vice President Lin Jianhua poses for a photo with researcher González)
On the morning of December 6, the delegation visited Cuban agricultural markets, state-owned stores, and community clinics to conduct field research on monetary consolidation [3], the development of the private economy, and welfare protection since the updating of the Cuban economic model. The delegation learned that since the model update began, Cuba's reform of ownership structures has continued, and the private economy has seen some growth. However, the monetary consolidation since 2021 has triggered inflation, impacting price levels and residents' incomes; the situation of Cuba’s "shortage economy" still requires improvement.
(The delegation surveys a Cuban agricultural market and a state-owned grain and oil store)
On the afternoon of December 6, the delegation visited the Jose Marti National Library of Cuba, the University of Havana, the Office of the City Historian of Havana, and the Jose Marti Elementary School to investigate Cuba’s socialist ideological and cultural construction. The delegation learned that since the victory of the Cuban Revolution, the Cuban Party and government have attached great importance to the country’s socialist ideological and cultural development, establishing not only a high-level system of free education for all but also constructing world-class cultural venues like the Jose Marti National Library. Cuba has accumulated valuable historical experience in inheriting and promoting national cultural traditions, building advanced socialist culture, and advocating for socialist core values, which are worthy of study and reference.
(The delegation visits the Jose Marti 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 ideals, 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 comprehensively deepening friendly cooperation. The delegation's visit has further consolidated and expanded the academic ties between our Academy and the Cuban Marxist theoretical and social science communities. Through theoretical exchange and mutual learning, both sides will work together to promote the process of socialist modernization in the 21st century and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
(Contributed by He Qin)