China and Mexico established diplomatic relations more than 50 years ago and the bilateral ties have been further boosted over the recent years, facilitating people to people and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
In Shanghai, three young Mexicans are contributing to strengthening the bond between the two countries in their own way -- by studying traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
The three are cousins and students at Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Mauricio Diaz Gutierrez, the eldest, was the first to start the journey back in 2017.
"I came for the first year just to see, if I liked it, then I was going to continue. And if I didn't like it, I would just go back. And of course, it has been seven years and I'm still here," said Mauricio.
Inspired by Mauricio, Sebastian Ramirez Gutierrez and Elena Gutierrez Gonzalez decided to follow in his footsteps.
But for the three young people traveling over 12,000 kilometers from home to China, mastering a therapy with thousands of years of history comes with unique challenges -- beyond just the language barrier.
"There are so many herbs. For me, memorizing (their names) is the hardest part," said Mauricio.
"The theory of TCM about the Yin and Yang and the five elements and everything... it was very weird to me in the first year," said Sebastian.
"It's really hard for me to feel a person's pulse and being able to say, like, 'I think your pulse is like superficial,' or 'your pulse is like deep...' I find it really hard, and I kept practicing," said Elena.
The three cousins, being together as not just a family, but also learning partners, have helped each other on academic or clinical challenges, and have gained a deeper understanding of the medicine.
"The way of thinking of TCM is not only thinking about the sickness, but also like your everyday life, like how your habits can affect the way your body is, your health is," said Elena.
Now all in clinical practice, the trio says the hands-on experience has been invaluable.
The three also share a unified vision for the future.
"We want to open a clinic in Mexico and focus on different diseases," said Sebastian.
"I really want to connect TCM with Mexican culture. Because in Mexico, we also have a lot of traditional medicines. I want to integrate both and respect both of our cultures and being able to help people," said Elena.
"We hope that one day we can achieve this goal. There's a bright future for TCM between us and in my country," said Mauricio.
For them, learning TCM is not just about healing, it's also about fostering a deeper connection between the two cultures.
Mexican cousins contributing to closer ties between Mexico and China by studying traditional Chinese medicine
Mexican cousins contributing to closer ties between Mexico and China by studying traditional Chinese medicine
A Chinese representative has called for unity and collaboration in the face of climate crisis after a package of climate agreements was reached early Sunday at the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29).
The agreements included decisions on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate financing and issues relating to the global carbon market mechanism under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
The agreements set the post-2025 climate finance targets, including an annual funding of at least 300 billion U.S. dollars from developed countries and a broader climate financing goal of at least 1.3 trillion dollars per year by 2035 for supporting developing countries' climate actions.
In his speech at the closing plenary session, Zhao Yingmin, head of the Chinese delegation and vice minister of ecology and environment, highlighted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Over the past 30 years, the process of climate governance under the convention has faced challenges but has consistently moved forward.
Zhao emphasized that humanity is a community with a shared future, and in the face of the climate crisis, unity and collaboration are the only viable paths.
The vice minister also noted that the outcome document on the NCQG revealed that developed countries' financial commitments still fall far short of meeting the needs of developing nations, and their financial obligations must be further clarified.
The upcoming year 2025 will mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement. At this new historic juncture, all parties must remain true to their original aspirations and forge ahead, said the Chinese official.
He added that addressing the global climate crisis requires adhering to the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities", upholding multilateralism, and working together for mutual benefit.
Zhao reaffirmed that China, as a responsible major developing country, will steadfastly promote the multilateral process and international cooperation on climate change, regardless of how the global landscape evolves.
China will continue to implement its national strategy for actively addressing climate change, pursue its carbon peaking and neutrality goals and engage extensively in South-South climate cooperation to contribute to global green, low-carbon, climate-resilient and sustainable development, he said.
The Chinese representative also called on the international community to work together to make substantial progress toward the vision set out in the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement and jointly build a clean and beautiful world.
China calls for unity, cooperation as COP29 reaches global climate deal package
