The fourth China-CELAC Forum opened in Beijing on Tuesday, bringing together over 100 representatives from Latin American and Caribbean countries to discuss opportunities for deeper cooperation.
The forum highlighted the growing partnership between the two sides, emphasizing shared goals of peace, development, and cooperation.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of Communist Party of China Central Committee, put forward four key proposals -- deepening political ties, advancing shared modernization, exchanging governance experiences, and strengthening people-to-people connections through youth, media, and cultural exchanges.
He emphasized China's commitment to deepening cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), stating that the country plans to invite 300 political representatives annually to exchange ideas on trade, investment, technology, and culture.
Political leaders from LAC nations echoed Liu, calling for more pragmatic cooperation in various sectors.
Leonardo Resende, national youth president of the Brazilian Democratic Movement, stressed the significance of investment in sustainable development.
"China is making significant investments in infrastructure, energy, and transportation throughout the region. It's crucial to align these investments with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that projects are environmentally sound and have a positive social impact. Cooperation, environmental sustainability, energy transition, and the protection of global ecosystems are vital, especially with the Amazon's critical role in climate regulation. Partnerships should focus on initiatives that blend environmental preservation with sustainable development, such as reforestation and ecotourism," he said.
Lindy-Ann Dottin, assistant general secretary of Grenada's National Democratic Congress expressed her wish to see China help LAC nations alleviate poverty, improve transportation infrastructure, and advance agricultural technology.
"The areas I expect toward the greatest cooperation, and presently, it has been happening already, it's in terms of alleviating our poverty whereby we have persons who are less fortunate to be able to have proper housing, [so that] they are better able to take care of their children. You have proper road networks so that you can commute to your farms; better agriculture techniques, because in the Caribbean, as you know, agriculture is one of our main sources of income. And once we are better able to have the knowledge [about] how we can better produce for our nation. Because as they say,'once you could feed your nation then you have a wealthy nation.' So that's what I'm basically looking to come out of this forum," she said.
4th China-CELAC Forum opens in Beijing
