CEIBS hosted its 2026 Building Bridges Forum on China–Latin America business in Shanghai on September 19, drawing 250+ diplomats and executives to explore trade, investment and localisation.
Tags:The 2026 CEIBS Global EMBA Building Bridges Forum on China and Latin America was held at CEIBS' Shanghai campus on September 19, welcoming more than 250 diplomats, consular officials, corporate executives, academics and CEIBS alumni.
The forum explored Latin America's evolving business environment and market access, the experience of Latin American companies operating in China, and the strategies Chinese companies are adopting as they expand into Latin America. The event was moderated by CEIBS Professor of Economics, Associate Dean and Director of the Global EMBA Programme Bala Ramasamy.
As economic cooperation between the two regions deepens, Chinese companies are moving beyond the traditional commodity trade into new fields such as renewable energy, cross-border ecommerce, technology, and infrastructure. Against this backdrop, the forum provided a platform for in-depth exchange between the Chinese and Latin American business communities.
01
Opening remarks: Two continents, one bridge
CEIBS Vice President and Dean Léon Laulusa
Léon Laulusa, CEIBS Vice President and Dean and Professor of Financial Accounting and Management, opened the forum by highlighting three figures that illustrate the growing scale of China–Latin America ties.
First, bilateral trade reached US$565 billion in 2025 — a record, up 6.5% year on year — with China now Latin America's second-largest trading partner and Latin America now China's second-largest overseas investment destination. Second, the two regions together are home to more than two billion people and roughly a quarter of global GDP — "not just a market, but two ancient civilisations trading and growing together." And third, in early 2026, Brazil became the top importer of Chinese cars, with value reaching US$5.2 billion, 87% of which was in electric or hybrid vehicles — up from 33% five years earlier.
More important than the numbers, Prof. Laulusa said, are the values the two regions share, including the importance of family, respect for elders, hard work, and high-context trust — expressed as guanxi in China and confianza in Latin America.
CEIBS, Prof. Laulusa said, serves as an active bridge between the two regions. The Global EMBA's Brazil module is delivered in partnership with Brazil's Fundação Dom Cabral, and accepts participants from São Paulo to the Amazon; Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile and Universidad de Montevideo in Uruguay are partners for the China Immersion Programme. CEIBS also runs MBA exchanges with COPPEAD in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In Executive Education, CEIBS has designed a customised mobility programme for Brazil's National Confederation of Transport (CNT), representing 170,000 transport companies, and brought Module VII of its Global CEO Programme to Brazil.
Prof. Laulusa concluded by paying a special tribute to the CEIBS alumni in the room: "You are already living this bridge — from São Paulo to Shanghai, from Mexico City to Munich."
"Please leave today with fresh inspiration — and with an idea or partnership you didn't have yesterday," he added, encouraging participants to become active connectors between the two regions.
02
Keynote: Belt and Road in practice
CEIBS Visiting Leader, Non-Executive Director on the Boards of Johnson Controls International and CEAT, and Chairman of IMA's CEO Forum for China Pierre E. Cohade
Delivering a keynote address, Pierre E. Cohade, CEIBS Visiting Leader, Non-Executive Director on the Boards of Johnson Controls International and CEAT, and Chairman of IMA's CEO Forum for China, drew on the nine years he spent living in Latin America, including time in both Mexico and Brazil.
His son was born in Brazil, his elder daughter in Mexico and his younger daughter in China, he noted. "At least from a family standpoint, I have relevance to speak about bridges between China and Latin America," he said.
Speaking on the theme "Belt and Road in Practice: Weaving China and Latin America Together", Mr. Cohade observed that the Silk Road "was never one highway, but a historic network of threads that continues today." He added that the idea of "weaving" also pays tribute to Peru's 4,000-year textile tradition and to the weaving traditions found across pre-Columbian civilisations.
He then traced the momentum of trade, noting that in 2024, China–Latin America trade exceeded US$500 billion for the first time — around 20 times the level of the year 2000 — before reaching a new record in 2025, with current trends pointing beyond US$600 billion in 2026.
He also highlighted major infrastructure developments, including Peru’s new Port of Chancay, opened in November 2024, which has cut shipping times between Asia and Latin America by a third, and COFCO's soybean terminal at Brazil's Port of Santos, which has increased Brazil's soybean export capacity to China from 4.5 million to 14 million tonnes.
Addressing the narrative that "China is flooding Latin America with debt," Mr. Cohade noted that China's cumulative investment in the region stands at around US$187 billion, compared with US$765 billion from the European Union — i.e. only a quarter of Europe's total, leaving ample room for growth.
What is growing, he argued, is not loans but investment in factories and infrastructure: from BYD's plant in Bahia, Brazil (a former Ford facility) and Great Wall Motor's investment in São Paulo (a former Mercedes-Benz site), to the "nearshoring" cluster in Monterrey. He also noted that 44% of Chile's exports now flow to China — a commercial success, but also a development that raises questions about economic dependency.
For Chinese companies investing in Latin America, Mr. Cohade advised treating the region as "a mosaic of countries" rather than a single bloc, judging each market on its own policies, opportunities and legal framework. He also urged companies to separate "the signature from the substance" by focusing on real FDI rather than memoranda — while making use of institutions such as the Shanghai-headquartered New Development Bank.
For Latin American companies in China, he recommended "chairman-to-chairman" relationships, moving beyond an export-only model towards genuine localisation, and building cultural bridges. "Mutual discovery of one another's culture and heritage will do more to open doors than any term sheet," he said.
03
Panel I: Decoding the bilateral market
Panel discussion on Decoding the Bilateral Market: Policies, Business Environment and Market Access
The first panel — moderated by Prof. Ramasamy — brought together Mr. Bernardo Muñoz, Commercial Counsellor at the Consulate General of Peru in Shanghai; Mr. Ignacio Donisa, Commercial Counsellor at the Consulate General of Argentina in Shanghai; and Mr. Álvaro Luiz Vereda Oliveira, Advisor to the President for International Affairs at the New Development Bank.
Mr. Muñoz traced Peru's ties with China back to 1874, noting 55 years of diplomatic relations and 16 years of a free trade agreement that has seen trade grow by around 600%. "We are the most Chinese country in Latin America — around 10% of Peruvians are of Chinese descent," he said.
China is now Peru's largest export destination, accounting for 36% of its trade, and largest source of investment, at 31%. The Port of Chancay, he added, is set to become a hub for the whole region, while some US$160 billion in infrastructure gaps across energy, water, housing, hospitals, roads and railways open substantial opportunities for private companies and SMEs.
Mr. Donisa described current commercial ties between China and Argentina as "better than ever." Argentine companies are actively sourcing Chinese products, machinery and equipment to raise productivity at home, and firms such as Mercado Libre have opened offices in Shanghai to learn from Chinese companies, he said.
Argentina's exports to China, however, remain concentrated in traditional agricultural products such as soybeans, beef and wine, making diversification and higher value addition key challenges.
Drawing on Brazil's experience, Mr. Vereda noted that the relationship is shifting from commodity exports towards FDI-led engagement: "To export, you need to know the market; to invest, you need to know the country," he said.
In an era when tariffs, currencies and sanctions are increasingly being used as geopolitical tools, geopolitical factors weigh ever more heavily on business — yet economic logic ultimately prevails, and companies need their own capacity to read the domestic situation and external circumstances, sector by sector.
Asked what Chinese companies should never do in Latin America, the responses converged: do not disregard cultural differences; do not treat laws and regulations as optional; and do not expect Latin America to move at Chinese speed.
As Prof. Ramasamy summed it up, "Brazil is not for beginners."
04
Panel II: Latin American enterprises operating in China
Panel discussion on Latin American Enterprises Operating in China: Opportunities and Challenges
Moderated by CEIBS Associate Professor of Management Byron Lee, the second panel featured Mr. Tiger Wang, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Bimbo QSR Asia (Grupo Bimbo); Mr. Francisco Elicer Coopman, Senior Sales Director for Asia Pacific and Global Strategic Marketing at Nova Andino Litio and CEIBS alumnus; and Ms. Yanitza Curonisy, Quality and Assurance Director, Asia, at Fruitist.
Mr. Wang explained that Bimbo QSR has been in China for 30 years and now operates nine bakeries in the country, alongside two in South Korea and 14 in India. Its guiding principle, he said, is to "execute global standards with local speed" — upholding quality while responding to the pace of the Chinese market.
Winning the trust of global headquarters, he added, requires transparency and "walking the talk". His team, for example, built a 15,000-square-metre bakery in just ten months. He also shared a hard lesson from the company’s China journey: a bakery built in Zhengzhou, Henan around seven years ago was closed after demand fell short. "Don't build capability ahead of demand," he said.
To demonstrate her company’s experience, Ms. Curonisy explained why Fruitist, a fruit supplier, chose to grow blueberries in China’s southwestern Yunnan province, where it now operates around 400 hectares of low-chill varieties, moving from seasonal supply to a year-round presence.
Chinese consumers are among the most discerning, she noted, rewarding consistency, appearance and eating quality. Understanding the market, she said, means immersing in it. She also pointed to differences in management styles: Chinese organisations often tend to be more structured and centralised in decision-making, while Latin American teams tend to be more consultative and relational. She emphasised that these are cultural tendencies, not absolutes, and that adapting to each context is key.
Mr. Elicer Coopman described how lithium mining company SQM — from Chile, now acting as Nova Andino Litio SpA, a joint venture between Chile's SQM and Codelco — evolved in China from a cautious setup into localisation with logistics, quality and financial support, to compete as a local, and even investing in a chemical processing plant in Sichuan province.
"We have had to become adaptable, to keep pace with China's booming battery technology," he said, noting that Chinese firms have gone from market followers to market leaders.
05
Panel III: Chinese enterprises going to Latin America
Panel discussion on Chinese Enterprises Going to Latin America: Sector Selection, Localisation, and Sustainable Development
The third panel was moderated by CEIBS Professor of Strategy Weiru Chen, and featured Mr. Alfred Wang, CEO of AlphaESS and a CEIBS alumnus; Mr. Lucas Shen, Vice President and General Manager of Asia-Pacific and the Americas at Cainiao Group; and Ms. Wei Duan, founder and CEO of NexaPay, former Group Vice President and Head of APAC at EBANX, and a CEIBS alumna.
Mr. Wang elaborated on Service Leadership, one of the three core strategies of Alpha ESS. “As energy storage products are increasingly standardised, genuine differentiation stems from local service capabilities,” he said. The company selected Chile as its first foothold in Latin America, establishing a subsidiary in Santiago and hiring local staff to engage end customers directly. Operational data accumulated from commissioned energy storage systems is being leveraged to train industry-specific vertical models, optimizing charging and discharging strategies for clients. “Turning to Brazil, the market is characterised by low brand loyalty among local distributors, fierce price competition and a complex tax regime. Only a long-term strategy can help the business weather market cycles,” he noted.
Mr. Shen framed logistics company Cainiao's mission through logistics costs. Shipping one kilogramme from China to Brazil costs about US$7 by air, he said, compared with less than US$1 by sea.
Cainiao aims to reduce global logistics costs to US$5–8 and delivery times to between 72 hours and five days. To achieve this the company is investing in technology across five stages — planning, first-mile pickup, line-haul, customs and last-mile delivery. He noted that Latin America's urbanisation rate of 80–90% creates particular challenges for logistics organisations."Mexico City is not Beijing", he said, adding that Chinese companies must go through a localisation "shock period". In his own case, Mr. Shen spent two years and changed teams twice in Mexico before local trust took hold.
Ms. Duan brought the perspective of cross-border payments and market entry. As founder of NexaPay, a payments and financial infrastructure company, she helps connect Asian businesses with local financial systems in Latin America, with Brazil as its first core market.
“Latin America is highly uncertain, but it also has its own certainties,” Ms. Duan said. “Policies, foreign exchange rules and market conditions can change quickly, creating both challenges and opportunities. Chinese companies cannot simply transfer an existing business model into Brazil. For exports, market knowledge may be enough; to build a lasting business, you need country knowledge. You have to understand how Brazil really works, put local context into every business decision, and build genuine relationships over time.” She added that trust and local relationships are essential to building a lasting business.
In a closing round of advice, Mr. Wang cautioned against going overseas on a whim, while Mr. Shen urged companies to treat legal, compliance and penalty costs as a serious line item in their business plans. Ms. Duan's advice was the most concise of all: "Take a lawyer."
06
Closing: Opportunity, understanding and dialogue
CEIBS Professor of Economics, Associate Dean and Director of the Global EMBA Programme Bala Ramasamy
Closing the forum, Prof. Ramasamy left the audience with three thoughts.
First, the opportunity between China and Latin America is real but not automatic. Trade figures may set the stage, but the deals, partnerships and long-term investments are built person by person, conversation by conversation.
Second, internationalisation is, at its core, an exercise in understanding — not only of markets, but also of different business cultures and the people with whom we hope to work. That takes patience, humility and a genuine willingness to listen.
Third, CEIBS was founded on the belief that meaningful cooperation begins with dialogue. The Building Bridges forum series — having previously covered China and Southeast Asia, China and Europe, and China and Africa — is one expression of that belief.
"Wherever we go, the format is the same: bring people together, listen carefully, and let the conversation take us where it needs to go," Prof. Ramasamy said.
The event also featured an evening reception entitled “Noche Latina” celebrating Latin American food and culture.
About CEIBS Global EMBA
The CEIBS Global EMBA (GEMBA) programme cultivates business leaders with deep insight into the Chinese market and the global perspective and cross-cultural management skills to lead across borders. It is ranked #2 worldwide in the Financial Times' 2025 Executive MBA Ranking and has been the world's highest-ranked stand-alone EMBA programme for four consecutive years.
About the "Building Bridges" Series
Launched by the CEIBS Global EMBA programme, the "Building Bridges" series aims to build bridges between China and the world and to deepen mutual understanding across business cultures. Following the inaugural “China and Southeast Asia” forum in Shenzhen in August 2024 — which attracted nearly 300 participants — the series has explored "China and Europe" and "China and Africa". This edition, "China and Latin America," brought together diplomats, business leaders and academics from both regions.
Recommended Reading
CEIBS Global EMBA alumnus Philip Lau named to Poets & Quants’ 2026 Best & Brightest EMBA List |
Building "brand gravity" – Jacquelien Postigo Brussee on leadership and growth in China |
See others, see within – Global EMBA 2023 alumna Kathy Jiang on leadership growth |
Want to learn more about CEIBS programmes? Click ‘Read more’ below
No comments:
Post a Comment