The BRICS Policy Center/PUC-Rio participated in the International Think Tank Forum on the Maritime Silk Road in Guangzhou, organized by the Guangdong Institute for International Strategies (GIIS)

The BRICS Policy Center/PUC-Rio carried out an academic mission in China, strengthening strategic partnerships and expanding the Global South’s presence in international debates. During the visit, our Director, Marta Fernández, was appointed Special Advisor to the Guangdong Institute for International Strategies (GIIS), a step that reinforces cooperation between research centers and creates new opportunities within the framework of the International Think Tank Forum of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (2025).

The agenda included participation in three high-level dialogue spaces. At the China in Sight, Global Insight Forum, Marta Fernández contributed to the panel on cooperation within the Belt and Road Initiative. At the 10th International Think Tank Forum of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, she spoke both at a roundtable dedicated to the role of the Global South in transforming the world order and at a parallel session on Chinese initiatives and their engagement with Southern countries.

In addition, two interviews were granted. The first was conducted by the China Center for Contemporary World Studies (CCCWS), the host institution of the delegation, in a strategic dialogue on academic cooperation and BRICS perspectives. The second, public, was an exclusive interview for the program Diplomacy Talk on the portal chinadiplomacy.org.cn, aimed at disseminating analyses and perspectives on multilateralism and the role of the Global South to a broader audience.

This mission consolidates the BRICS Policy Center as a space for reflection and action that seeks to democratize international politics and contribute to building alternatives for cooperation and development from the Global South.