China plans more flights to Latin America

China is considering more direct flights to and from Latin America and the Caribbean region, and their ties are not directed against any third party and should not be subject to interference by any third party, an official with the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

The relations are "based solely on mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, without any geopolitical calculations", Zhang Run, director-general of the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Beijing.

"It is up to the people of Latin America themselves to choose the path their countries will take, and up to the Latin American countries to decide who their friend will be," Zhang said.

A year ago, the two sides jointly witnessed the launch of five programs — solidarity, development, civilization, peace and people-to-people connectivity — to build a China-LAC community with a shared future.

On Friday, to mark the first anniversary of the programs' launch, the China Public Diplomacy Association hosted a media salon in Beijing.

At the event, Zhang said that China is willing to continuously improve the convenience of bilateral people-to-people exchanges and initiate more direct flights.

China's commitment to advancing China-Latin America relations, achieving common development and promoting South-South cooperation will not waver, he added.

Zhang also addressed the issue of visa application difficulties faced by citizens of countries without diplomatic relations with China.

He said that this clearly shows that maintaining so-called "diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan authorities does not serve the fundamental interests of the people of those countries.

"We hope that the very few countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region will have a clear-eyed view of the trend of history, heed the will of their people and join at an early date the big family (of countries) that recognize the one-China principle," he added.

Speaking of Cuba, Zhang reiterated that China opposes the United States' sanctions and embargo against Cuba. He said that Beijing will continue to firmly support the Cuban people in pursuing a development path suited to their particular national circumstances.

Song Junying, director of the China Institute of International Studies' Department for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, said that Latin American countries are currently experiencing a resurgence of self-awareness in seeking autonomy, and they are pursuing modernization that better suits their national conditions.

As part of the Global South, Song said that "both sides should prioritize exchanges and mutual learning in areas such as industrialization, reindustrialization, scientific and technological innovation, the green transition, digital transformation and state governance".

Shi Yi, vice-president of China Foreign Affairs University, shared the experience of personally witnessing the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe while conducting field research in Mexico City, Mexico, saying that the vitality of civilization lies precisely in creative transformation through mutual learning and exchange.

"Both China and Latin America respect the diversity of civilizations and support mutual learning and exchange. They are pioneers and partners in advancing the Global Civilization Initiative together," Shi said.