Belt and Road high on CELAC meeting agenda

The upcoming ministerial meeting between China and Latin American countries will bring a new start to Sino-Latin American relations and boost cooperation on the Belt and Road initiative between the two sides, experts say.

The Second Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of China and the Community

of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will be held in Chile from Friday to Monday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will lead a delegation to the meeting, at the invitation of Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz and Foreign Minister Hugo Martínez of the Republic of El Salvador, which is currently holding the rotating presidency of CELAC.

Wang will also pay official visits to Chile and Uruguay from January 21 to 25, Lu said.

“The relationship between China and Latin American and Caribbean countries will not only focus on the economy, trade and resources, but also broadly cover cultural exchanges, global governance and infrastructure cooperation under the Belt and Road initiative,” said Wu Changsheng, director of the Latin American study center under the China Foundation for International Studies.

“In the past, mutual trust between the two sides relied on ideology, but now it will have a more solid basis,” Wu said.

“The core reason is that our relationship is becoming more complementary. Latin American countries need industrialization and more infrastructure construction, and China’s Belt and Road initiative can offer what they want,” he said.

Latin America was not originally included in the initiative, but because of a strong desire from both sides, it has been included as an indispensable participant. The Belt and Road initiative will be in the mainstream of future development of Sino-Latin American ties, Wu noticed.

“China and Latin American countries are also sharing experiences on state governance. The exchanges between government officials are also increasing,” Guo Cunhai, deputy director of Latin American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

“Latin America and China are hungry for real advances on trade, economy, cultural and academic matters,” Enrique Dussel, coordinator of the Center for China-Mexico Studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, told the Xinhua News Agency.

Unnecessary US concern

A number of foreign media reports have speculated that the US government is feeling nervous about China’s increasing presence in its “backyard” as China seeks greater cooperation with Latin American countries.

Ties between the US and Latin America have already been impacted since Donald Trump took office, Guo said, and that China’s cooperation with Latin America will not necessarily lead to a zero-sum game with the US.

“China’s cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean countries is not exclusive, it’s inclusive. We welcome the participation from a third party. So the US doesn’t need to worry,” Wu said

“It is also very possible to see more Latin American countries follow Panama which established diplomatic relations with the Chinese mainland and cut official ties with Taiwan,” Wu added.