INDEX I. Overview of Peru relations with Asia II. Subjects of study and academic institutions dealing with Asian Studies III. The future and challenges of Asian studies in Peru - References

1. State of Asia and China Studies in Peru
February 19th, 2022
Carlos Aquino
Director of CEAS
Centre for Asia Studies
Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos
E-mail: caquinor@unmsm.edu.pe

2. INDEX
• I. Overview of Peru relations with Asia
• II. Subjects of study and academic institutions dealing with Asian
Studies
• III. The future and challenges of Asian studies in Peru
• - References

3. I. Overview of Peru relations with Asia
• Peru has a long history of relations with Asia. From the middle of the 16th
century to the beginning of the 19th century while Peru was a colony of Spain,
there was the Acapulco Manila Galleon trade where goods from Asia came to
the country.
• Goods like porcelain, silk, species and others flowed to Latin America, and
Spain, in exchange for mainly silver.
• Besides that, from 1849 large scale Chinese immigration began to Peru, and
from 1899 Japanese also began immigration to Peru. As a result, Peru is home
to the largest Chinese community in Latin America, and the Japanese
community is the second largest, after Brazil. Also, in 1873 Peru established
diplomatic relations with Japan, and in 1874 with China.

4. Manila Galleon Route Map

5. Exportaciones de bienes del Perú al Asia por principales destinos, en millones de dólares
y en % del total, años 2010 al 2021
Economías
(Ranking* en el 2019)
2010 2011 2015 2018 2019 2021
China
(1)
5,436
(15%)
6,961
(15%)
7,333
(22.1%)
13,237
(27.6%)
13,503
(29.4%)
18,297
(32.5%)
Corea del Sur
(5)
896
(2.5%)
1,695
(4%)
1,077
(3.2%)
2,467
(5.1%)
2,228
(4.8%)
2,756
(4.9%)
Japón
(6)
1,792
(5%)
2,175
(5%)
1,118
(3.4%)
2,181
(4.5%)
1,974
(4.3%)
2,097
(3.7%)
India
(7)
219
(0.6%)
248
(0.5%)
676
(2.0%)
2,481
(5.2%)
1,787
(3.9%)
2,507
(4.4%)
Taiwán 293
(0.8%)
369
(0.8%)
270
(0.8%)
289
(0.6%)
201
(0.4%)
273
(0.5%)
Total, Asia 9,163
(26%)
12,191
(27%)
11,043
(33.2%)
21,982
(45.8%)
21,755
(47.3%)
27,824
(49.5)
Total, mundo 35,806
(100%)
45,726
(100%)
33,245
(100.0)
48,014
(100.0%)
45,978
(100.0%)
56,241
(100.0%)
*Ranking como principales mercados para el Perú.
Fuente: MINCETUR, Reporte Mensual de Comercio Exterior, y Reporte de Comercio Bilateral, varios años

6. • From the year 1990 onwards economic relations with Asia, specially
with China, increased.
• Peru´s endowment of natural resources represent a natural atraction to
Asia countries.
• Also, Peru joined several several organizations in the Asia Pacific región,
like PECC, PBEC, FEALAC and APEC, this last one in 1998.
• From the year 2010 Peru also established Free Trade Agreements with
China, Korea, Japan, and several more countries in Asia, and in 2021 the
CPTPP entered into force for Peru.

7. II. Subjects being studied and academic institutions
dealing with Asia Studies
• Traditionally the studies about China were about the Chinese
immigrants in Peru. As it is known, people of Chinese origin in Peru
constitute the largest community in Latin America and are the seventh
largest in the world. Peru was the first country to receive large scale
Chinese immigration in Latin America and from 1849 to 1872 probably
100 thousand Chinese came to Peru.
• Also, Peru was the first country in Latin America to establish diplomatic
relations with the then Chinese Qing Empire in 1874.
• Besides that, Peru also was he first country in South America to receive
large scale immigration form Japan, and the first to establish diplomatic
relations with that country in 1873.

9. • Another area about China
that is studied in Peru is its
culture and language. In
this field Guillermo Dañino
Ribatto has published
several works. He is a
Professor of Pontifical
Catholic University.

10. • There are institutions teaching mainly language and culture
• There are Centers teaching japanese language and culture
• There are 4 Confucius Institutes (C.I,): the oldest one is the C.I. in the
Universidad de Piura, from 2007 (in operation from 2009), then there is
the C.I. of Pontifical Catholic University from 2009, the C.I. of
Universidad Ricardo Palma, and the C.I. of Universidad Catolica de Santa
Maria. All these universities are private ones.
• There was a King Sejong Institute that later closed but the Korean
Embassy is pushing to open one again, at other University.

11. • Actually there are 3 Centres of Asian Studies:
• The first was created in 1988 when Pontifical Catholic University opened
a Center of Oriental Studies
• From the year 2000 in particular economic, and political, relations with
Asia increased, and also the interest in studying subjects different than
inmigration, language and culture.
• In 2013, the University of the Pacific opened the Center of Peru-China
Studies and in 2017 it changed its name to include Asia Pacific.
• In 2018 In 2018, the University of San Marcos opened its Center of Asian
Studies (the only public University with a Center of this type)

12. • Besides the above mentioned, there is an institute of international
studies, the Instituto de Estudios Internacionales (IDEI) of Pontifical
Chatolic University that has organized some seminars and has done
some publications about China in particular.
• There exists the REDAP, Peruvian network of Asian Pacific studies, where
16 academic institutions gather to promote studies about that dinamic
región and its increasing relationship with Peru
• And also exists the Peruvian chapter of the ALADAA, La Asociacion
Latinoamericana de Asia y Africa.

13. • Setiembre, 2019

14. Noviembre 2021

15. Clausura en la UNMSM, 25 de setiembre 2019, con el Embajador de Corea

20. IX. Seminarios del CEAS

21. III. The future and challenges of Asia studies in Peru
• Giving the growing importance of Asia in the world, and for Peru in particular,
the studies about Asia will gain popularity. Perhaps more academic institutions
could setup entities specializing in Asian affairs
• But there are several challenges ahead. First, the financing needed, and this is
of particular importance.
• Second, the need also to have researchers who have studied in the region and
to know for example the language of the countries they study.
• There is the need to take full advantage of the scholarships being offered by
the governments of those countries, mainly China, Japan, Korea (but also
Taiwan)

22. • Third, India and countries in the South-East Asia region are becoming
also important but few attention is given to them.
• Also, there practically no specialists in these countries.

23. References
• Aquino, Carlos: “Acerca de los estudios sobre China en el Perú”
https://revistasinvestigacion.unmsm.edu.pe/index.php/econo/article/view/8729/7579
• Aquino Carlos: “State of Asia, Korean Studies in Peru and in San Marcos National
University”
https://www.academia.edu/38553459/state_of_asia_and_korean_studies_in_peru
• Aquino, Carlos: “Estado de los estudios coreanos en Peru”
https://es.slideshare.net/carlosalbertoaquinorodriguez/estado-de-los-estudios-
coreanos-en-el-peru
• MINCETUR: “Reporte Mensual de Comercio Exterior”
https://cdn.www.gob.pe/uploads/document/file/2803026/RMC_Diciembre_2021.pdf