50 years of Argentine studies in China (1972-2022): progress and challenges

Abstract

The emergence of area and country studies in China has paralleled the Reform and Opening-up policy. It aims to promote people's understanding of the world, broaden their horizons, learn from the experiences of other countries and foreign civilizations to improve relations with other countries and contribute to their own development. As China intensifies its exchanges with the rest of the world, it not only needs to better understand the global context, but also adjust its international linkage strategies in response to geopolitical shifts. This requires a high level of knowledge, talents and skills in the field of area and country studies. In recent years, Chinese academia has widely debated on how to strengthen these studies, reaching certain consensus. Through a review of existing literature and a statistical analysis, this article reveals the gaps between current studies on Argentina and the established disciplinary objectives. It is argued that research on Argentina, although with its own particularities, shares similar challenges to those of other studies on non-English-speaking, small and medium-sized, and not bordering China countries, such as internal imbalances in disciplinary development, overemphasis on conjunctural issues, shortage of specialized scholars, limited intellectual exchange with foreign researchers, and insufficient channels for publishing results. However, the institutionalization of area and country studies as a discipline, the emergence of multidimensional and interdisciplinary talents and the diversification of academic journals could significantly advance Argentina studies in China in the future.