Prospects for Sino-Argentinian Dialogue: cultural dimension, foreign policies and integration profiles

GUSTAVO SANTILLÁN

China Studies Quarterly

Shanghai Renmin Press

Lugar: Shanghai; Año: 2016

In the last years, several significant developments have been taking place in the Chinese foreign and domestic policy: the introduction of the Chinese Dream notion and the establishment of the New Model of Major Country Relationship are the most salient features in these areas.In light of these recent policy developments, we will try to determine the actual room for the Sino-Argentinian Dialogue. We will accomplish this task by paying special attention to the cultural dimension of the respective policy orientations and integration profiles of each part.By doing so we find, in the Chinese case, so much the existence of deep cultural traits and ideas (manifested in the meaning of the Chinese Dream) as the explicit attempt to elevate the China-US Dialogue to a new stage: this stage is marked by the Peaceful Development, the increasing interdependence of the world economy, and the ongoing modernization process of the People´s Republic of China (PRC); these processes, in turn, would help bring together the Chinese Dream and the American Dream into a common horizon.In Argentina, the current foreign policy orientations are marked by domestic policy cleavages, and by a proliferation of regional integration forums and ambits. This results in an ?identity crisis? in the external profile of the country. We will exam these problems through a review of the regional alignment of Argentina in Latin America, and in South America in particular.If we combine these scenarios the result is that, first, there is the relevant question (for Argentina) of whether China will insist in promoting mutual understanding with the rest of the world (including the Southern Periphery) or if it will take the US as a privileged partner in the cultural arena. Secondly, there is the relevant question (for China) of whether Argentina will insist in the promotion of a Latin American identity, or if it will resume a more open stance, strongly including the US. Needless to say, this last option was a traditional preference of the local established elites.To answer these questions, we will consider a) the ideological basis of the Chinese Dream, b) the place assigned by the PRC foreign policy to the Latin American countries, c) the current Argentinian pattern of integration in Latin America, and the views of China from this part of the world. We will conclude by proposing some relevant suggestions for the Sino-Argentinian Dialogue to be sustained.