Ximena Zapata

Ximena Zapata is a Doctoral Researcher at the GIGA Institute for Latin American Studies in Hamburg, Germany, supported by a DAAD scholarship since 2015. Her research focuses on Ecuadorian foreign policy, China-Latin America relations, and South-South cooperation. She previously worked as an analyst for Ecuador’s Secretaría Técnica de Cooperación Internacional (SETECI) and as a consultant on Ibero-American cooperation dynamics in Argentina.

Her doctoral dissertation examines policy autonomy in Bolivia and Ecuador amid China’s rise, emphasizing geopolitical and economic shifts. Zapata holds a M.Sc. in International Relations from FLACSO-Ecuador and a Bachelor’s in Modern Languages and International Affairs from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.

Zapata’s publications analyze China’s cultural diplomacy in multilateral forums, Ecuadorian electoral politics, and Sino-South American economic ties. She has presented research at conferences including the ECPR General Conference (Prague) and Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (Salamanca), focusing on topics like the Bolivarian Alliance and resource-based development.