BEIJING, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The relationship between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries has ushered in a new era characterized by equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and more benefits for the people, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said here Wednesday.
Lin Jian made the remarks at a daily news briefing, saying that ten years ago on July 17, 2014, President Xi Jinping attended the China-LAC countries leaders' meeting in Brasilia and delivered a keynote speech entitled "Build a Community of Shared Destiny for Common Progress."
In the speech, President Xi for the first time made the proposition of building a China-LAC community with a shared future, which pointed the way forward for China-LAC relations in the new era and was warmly received among LAC countries, Lin said, adding that over the past decade, thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, continuous progress has been made in building a China-LAC community with a shared future and the China-LAC relationship has ushered in a new era characterized by equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and more benefits for the people.
He said bilateral political mutual trust has been strengthened. President Xi visited the LAC region five times, received leaders of many countries in the region and had meetings with them on bilateral and multilateral occasions to pool strategic consensus.
Practical cooperation between the two sides has been deepened, Lin said, adding that China has signed Belt and Road cooperation MOUs with 22 LAC countries, annual trade volume between China and LAC countries amounts to nearly 500 billion US dollars, and China is the second largest trading partner for Latin America and the biggest trading partner for Brazil, Chile and Peru.
Noting that people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and LAC have flourished, Lin said various flagship events were held, including the China-LAC Cultural Exchange Year and the "Bridge to the Future" China-LAC Young Leadership Training Program, and projects such as the Confucius Institute and the Luban Workshop were implemented, gaining immense popularity for such cultural exchange and mutual learning activities.
He said the forum between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) has made steady progress. Under the China-CELAC Forum, a total of over 90 events that cover 28 fields were held, including three ministerial meetings. Next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the official launch of the China-CELAC Forum. The two sides are in close communication on holding commemorative events.
The two sides have worked closely with each other on international coordination, Lin said, adding that China and LAC countries are committed to true multilateralism and have maintained sound communication and collaboration on global issues. The Common Understandings on Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis jointly issued by China and Brazil not long ago received active support and response from over 100 countries and sends out the strong message of upholding peace, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation from China and LAC countries.
This year and next year, the G20 Summit, the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, the BRICS Summit and the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be held in Latin America. "We can anticipate shining 'LAC moments' of global governance. The spotlight will once again be on LAC, which also means important opportunities for the growth of China-LAC relationship," Lin said.
Noting that China and LAC countries are all developing countries and members of the Global South, Lin said China will continue to follow the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests, enhance solidarity and cooperation with LAC countries and work together to advance the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, further synergize high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with the development strategies of LAC countries, promote steady progress in building a China-LAC community with a shared future, and usher in another promising decade for China-LAC relations. ■
