China-LAC cooperation hailed as route to more equal future

China and countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, which are known as LAC nations, are deepening cooperation under the framework of South-South collaboration, with all participants reaffirming their commitment to mutual respect, development, and multilateralism, officials and scholars have said.

They made the remarks on Friday at the seventh China-LAC Think Tank Forum hosted by the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, which gathered about 120 participants from both China and LAC countries.

Assistant Foreign Minister Miao Deyu said at the forum that China seeks solidarity, cooperation, and development in the LAC region, and does not seek to have so-called malicious influence.

Working together, China and LAC countries can build a trans-Pacific mega market of some 2 billion people that will not only provide powerful momentum for their respective developments but also strengthen their resilience in the face of containment, coercion, or suppression, Miao said.

Such cooperation will also contribute greater stability and positive energy to the world, he added.

Miao noted that the global landscape is undergoing profound changes and that one of the most notable trends is the growth of Global South countries, including those in the LAC region.

China will continue working with countries in the region to jointly implement the development program proposed at the fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum last month, with a focus on cooperation in infrastructure, agriculture, energy and mineral resources, clean energy, 5G communications, the digital economy, and artificial intelligence, he noted.

Martin Charles, the Dominican Republic’s ambassador to China, said that despite the geographic distance and cultural differences between China and LAC countries, their relations have made firm progress on an extraordinary route and have embarked on a model path of friendly and beneficial South-South cooperation for all.

The positive outcomes and agreements reached at the ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC forum paved the way for the comprehensive strengthening of cooperation between China and the LAC region, he said.

To overcome regional challenges, it will be essential to intensify, expand, and improve the levels of exchanges between China and LAC countries, and also bring the peoples of the two sides closer together, he added.

Leonel Caraballo Maqueira, vice-director of the Higher Institute of International Relations in Cuba, said that various Chinese institutions have demonstrated sincere willingness to cooperate with LAC countries and that China-LAC cooperation is based on principles that include respect for sovereignty, noninterference in internal affairs, and upholding true multilateralism.

Cooperation with China facilitates technology transfers, supports the industrialization of raw materials, and enhances value-added production in the LAC region, he said.

These are the principles that both China and LAC countries firmly defend on the international stage, he said, as he called on the two sides to carry out constructive dialogues to build a world that is more equal, just, sustainable, and inclusive.

There is no doubt the China-CELAC forum is of great importance for future cooperation, he added as he called for enhanced mutual understanding in order to build a better tomorrow.