January 13-14, 2015
APPFI had the honor of hosting four delegates from the Chinese Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) to a dinner at the Romulo Café (Tomas Morato) on January 13 and bringing them to an informal roundtable co-organized with KAISA and the Philippine Association for Chinese Studies (PACS) at the KAISA Heritage Center (Intramuros) on January 14. The visit was the first from a prestigious Chinese think tank to the Philippines this year. CICIR came upon the invitation of the Asian Center, University of the Philippines. There were both friendly as well as lively exchanges as both sides engaged the other with questions with the ultimate aim of building understanding.
The Chinese participants included: Fu Mengzi, Vice President, CICIR; He Sheng, Director for Institute of Maritime Studies, CICIR; Luo Yongkun, Assistant Professor, Institute of South, Southeast Asia and Oceanian Studies, CICIR; and Chen Qinghong, Assistant Professor, Institute of South, Southeast Asia and Oceanian Studies, CICIR.
About CICIR:
China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) is a comprehensive research institution for international studies. CICIR consists of 11 institutes, 2 research divisions under direct supervision of CICIR leaders, 8 research centers and several administrative departments. CICIR was ranked fifth on a list of the "Top 25 Think Tanks in Asia" and 38th on a list of the "Top 50 Worldwide Think Tanks" compiled by the University of Pennsylvania in its 2010 "Global Go To Think Tank Rankings".