A group of reporters from Latin America and the Caribbean, who are in Beijing for the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum, talked about their expectations and insights from their stay in China.
Hernan Federico Russo, a reporter of Clarin, the largest newspaper in Argentina, has been back from southwest China's Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality with a pile of items from fridge magnets to panda dolls. During this trip, he finds something similar between Argentina and China in food culture.
"We drink Mate in Argentina every day. It's like a tea and traditionalists share [it] with the other people. Not only for me, this is for me and for you and for my other friends. It's not one for one. It's one for everybody. When I tried the hotpot, I feel the same, like we cook together, we serve together the food," he said.
Eric Napoli Fernandes, a reporter from Poder360, a digital media company based in Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil, said he is most interested in China's infrastructure, especially high-speed rail.
"Everybody talks about the bullet train from China, especially from Latin America because we don't really have it there. [In] Rio and Sao Paulo, the major cities in Brazil, they talk about building a bullet train there, like a very short distance, but like 40, 30 years, it never happened," he said.
Brazil has been China's largest trading partner in South America and an important supplier of energy, minerals to China. Fernandes said he believes Chinese technology on Brazilian soil could create new possibilities.
"We have a lot of resources that we don't know how to correctly use it. Brazil cannot be like only a commodity exporter, like forever. We need to build own stuff, build like industrial park, and I think China is the most willing to help," he said.
Danielle John, a reporter from Trinidad and Tobago, the first English-speaking country in the Caribbean to join China's Belt and Road Initiative, said a field trip brings her a different picture from Western reports.
"Because unfortunately, and it's very sad to see just like what China has been saying, Western media has painted China in such a negative light. So I came and then I saw it for myself, and I have a totally different view. This place is just like any other country, but actually it's better because it's more advanced, safer," she said.
The fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum will be held in Beijing on Tuesday and this year marks the 10th anniversary of the official launch of the China-CELAC Forum.
CELAC, launched in 2010, is an intergovernmental mechanism for dialogue and political agreement, which includes all 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries in the region.
International journalists share insights from visiting China
International journalists share insights from visiting China
International journalists share insights from visiting China
China's stock market demonstrated robust performance in 2025 with new records in various sectors.
Against the backdrop of global liquidity easing and evolving industrial policies, the A-share market experienced a landmark year. Multiple key metrics - including total market capitalization, trading volume, as well as margin trading and short selling balances - achieved historic breakthroughs, demonstrating remarkable vitality and resilience.
In terms of overall performance, as of Dec. 31, 2025, the total market capitalization of A-shares reached approximately 118.91 trillion yuan, marking a net increase of 25.30 trillion yuan from the year's opening level of 93.61 trillion yuan. This represents a growth rate of 27.03 percent, according to data from financial information provider Wind.
In 2025, major A-share indices extended their annual gains compared to 2024.
On Dec. 31, 2025, the Shanghai Composite Index stood at 3,968.84 points, marking an annual increase of 18.41 percent - the largest annual gain since 2020. The Shenzhen Component Index rose 29.87 percent for the year, while the ChiNext Index surged 49.57 percent. The Beijing Stock Exchange 50 Index recorded an annual gain of 38.80 percent, while the STAR Market 50 Index rose 35.92 percent for the year.
As major indices rose, market trading activity intensified. Throughout 2025, the A-share market recorded a total trading value of approximately 420 trillion yuan, marking a growth of over 60 percent compared to the previous year and nearly doubling the 2023 annual value. It also marked the first time in history that the annual trading value surpassed the 400 trillion yuan threshold.
The margin trading and short selling scale in the A-share market expanded rapidly in 2025. As of the year end, the outstanding margin trading and short selling balance in the A-share market increased by 690.7 billion yuan during the year to reach 2.5 trillion yuan, setting a new historical high.
Notably, the growth in the balance was primarily driven by the increase in the financing balance. Although the short selling balance also increased in 2025, its cumulative growth for the year was less than 10 billion yuan, with the absolute value of the short selling balance remaining at a low level in recent years.
As market sentiment continued to heat up, major sectors in the A-share market saw increases. Key industry sectors rose to varying degrees, with over half posting annual increases exceeding 30 percent.
Boosted by sharp rises in precious metal prices, the nonferrous metals sector delivered standout performance throughout 2025. Defense and military, telecommunications, machinery and equipment, automotive, power equipment, and electronics sectors also ranked among the top annual gainers. Sectors like food and beverages, coal, and banking showed relatively weaker annual performance but still managed modest gains.
Against the backdrop of a broad market rally, individual stocks also rose, with many delivering standout performances. Data indicates that over 4,200 A-shares saw price increases in 2025, accounting for more than three-quarters of the total. Specifically, after excluding newly listed stocks, over 500 A-shares still doubled in value, with more than 100 stocks achieving annual gains exceeding 200 percent.
China's stock market demonstrates strong performance with multiple new records in 2025
