Jornal chinês fala da UNILA

Brazilian president calls for L. American integration

RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called Thursday for the acceleration of integration in Latin America.

Lula made the remarks when giving the first lecture of the newly-founded Federal University for the Latin American Integration (Unila), in Foz do Iguacu, Parana state, near the Paraguayan border.

The establishment of the university, which currently has 200 students from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, is an effort to boost the integration in the continent.

He said Latin America is very important for Brazil's trade, as 46.7 percent of the country's exports go to the region, but the bonds between countries go beyond economy.

"After 200 years, we are learning to walk with our own legs, see with our own eyes, talk with our own mouths, and think with our own minds. That means we are truly enjoying our independence," he said, adding that much more has to be done for the integration.

In the future, Unila is expected to have 10,000 students and 250 professors, half from Brazil and half from other Latin American countries, according to the Education Ministry.

A total of 306 million reais (176.8 million U.S. dollars) will be invested in building the new university's permanent campus.

Editor: Xiong Tong