From November 3 to 11, 2024, Yu Haiqing, Vice President of the Academy of Marxism, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), led a delegation to Brazil and Uruguay for academic exchanges. The delegation included Associate Researcher Lou Yu from the same academy. 

　　During its stay in Brazil, the delegation held talks with the Communist Party of Brazil and a number of its affiliates, as well as scholars related to contemporary China studies, and participated in academic seminars. 

　　In Rio de Janeiro, the delegation visited Evandro De Carvalho, a professor at the Law School of the Fluminense Federal University, who has long been devoted to the study of contemporary China and was awarded the Chinese Government Friendship Award for his outstanding contributions to the promotion of Sino-foreign cultural exchanges. In 2023, the Brazilian Congress awarded Carvalho the “China-Brazil Cross,” and the Portuguese edition of China Today, of which he is the executive editor, was awarded the “China-Brazil News Award” in recognition of the magazine’s contribution to presenting the real China and promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries. The delegation had in-depth discussions with Carvalho on the themes of promoting bilateral academic dialogues, collaborating to tell China’s story and facilitating Chinese academics to go global. Carvalho introduced the characteristics and trends of the study of contemporary China in Brazil in recent years, pointing out that research and publicity should be stepped up in areas such as the governance of the Communist Party of China, China’s socialist practice, and Chinese-style modernization, so as to enable academics and ordinary people in Latin America to understand the reasons behind China’s miracle. He believes that Brazilian academic community should strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Academy of Marxism of CASS, which is conducive to further enhancing the dissemination and influence of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in Brazil. 

　　The delegation had a discussion with Walter Sorrentino, Vice President of the Communist Party of Brazil, and others in Sao Paulo. Sorrentino said that the Communist Party of Brazil is looking forward to a series of cooperation with the Academy of Marxism, such as jointly organizing seminars focusing on the development of Marxism in the 21st century, the sinicization of Marxism, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and so on; translating books on the history of the Communist Party of China and the Communist Party of Brazil as well as the writings of important theorists; and strengthening the cooperation between journals in the field of Marxist studies. Yu Haiqing responded positively to Sorrentino’s proposal, stating that the Academy of Marxism will seriously explore how to cooperate with think tanks, journals and publishing houses affiliated with the Communist Party of Brazil, so as to strengthen mutual cognition and mutual learning through the cooperation and exchange between left-wing political parties and academics in China and Latin America and to work together to help the development of Marxism and world socialism in the 21st century. 

　　The delegation had a discussion with Altaire Freitas, President of the João Amazonas National Training School affiliated with the Communist Party of Brazil, on the issues of developing institutional cooperation, strengthening academic exchanges, and enhancing the Brazilian academia’s understanding of the theoretical innovation and practice of the sinicization of Marxism. The delegation also met with the news network “Brazil 247” to discuss how to introduce contemporary China to Latin American countries, and how to present a real, three-dimensional and comprehensive China. 

　　The delegation had a discussion with José Carvalho, President of the Brazilian Center for Solidarity of the Peoples and Struggle for Peace, and exchanged views on China-Brazil relations, China-Latin America’s cooperation on the “Belt and Road Initiative,” the Global South and geopolitical patterns, and other issues. José Carvalho was of the view that the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind put forward by President Xi was of great significance in the current era, and that the cooperation between China and Latin America on the “Belt and Road Initiative” provided new opportunities for the development and modernization process of Brazil, and played a positive role in promoting the interconnection and sustainable development of the Latin American region. 

　　In order to better understand the history of the Communist Party of Brazil, the delegation visited Niteroi, the birthplace of the party, and went to Anita Garibaldi Bookstore, a famous left-wing bookstore in Brazil, to learn about the publication and dissemination of Marxist classics in Brazil, the literature on the history of the Communist Party of Brazil, and the books published in Brazil on contemporary China. The delegation purchased some books there. 

　　In Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, the delegation had a discussion with Juan Castillo, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Uruguay. Castillo introduced to the delegation the current development achieved and challenges faced by the Communist Party of Uruguay. Castillo said that the Communist Party of Uruguay is fully aware of the importance of strengthening the study and research on the history of the Communist Party of China, the theoretical innovation and practice of the sinicization of Marxism, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and is preparing a team to carry out the relevant research. He considered the visit of the delegation from the Academy of Marxism “very important and timely.” The Spanish versions of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, Xi Jinping on the Belt and Road Initiative, A Brief History of the Communist Party of China, and A Brief History of the People’s Republic of China (1949-2019), which were presented by Vice President Yu Haiqing, were a generous “academic gift” to the Communist Party of Uruguay, helping them to better understand the Communist Party of China and comprehend Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. 

　　The delegation had a discussion with Ana Olivera, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Uruguay, at the Capitol. Olivera was the former Mayor of Montevideo and Deputy Minister of Social Development of Uruguay, and has visited China many times. She introduced the exchanges between Uruguay and China in recent years, and shared her insights and reflections from her several visits to China. She said that she was deeply impressed by the effectiveness of the governance of the Communist Party of China, the rapid modernization and development of China, and the wide coverage of people in China who enjoyed the benefits. In her opinion, the left-wing coalition “Broad Front” is very likely to win in the Uruguayan general election, which will further promote the exchanges and cooperation between Uruguay and China in various fields. 

　　The delegation led by Vice President Yu Haiqing also had friendly talks with think tanks, left-wing scholars, and communists in Brazil and Uruguay, which furthered the understanding of the delegation regarding the political participation of the Communist Party of Brazil and the Communist Party of Uruguay, their party building, and relations with the communist parties of other countries in Latin America, and deepened the knowledge of the characteristics and trends of contemporary China studies in Brazilian and Uruguayan academia. The delegation actively promoted Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and reached a number of consensuses on academic exchanges and cooperation between the two sides, achieving fruitful results from the visits. 

　　Photographed and provided by Lou Yu