China-Latin America cooperation extends to emerging areas amid deepened mutual trust: report

China-Latin America economic collaboration is shifting toward emerging sectors, including green technology and digital infrastructure, amid Latin America's advancement in regional integration, according to a regional investment assessment report released on Monday.

The report, titled "Latin American Regional Investment Environment Assessment", was jointly released at a conference in Beijing by state-owned credit rating agency Dagong and the Tsinghua University, ahead of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum, which opened in the Chinese capital city on Tuesday.

The report noted that China has remained Latin America's second-largest trading partner over the past decade, with bilateral trade volume growing steadily.

The region is now China's second-largest destination for overseas investment, driven by its rich natural resources, great market potential and diverse socioeconomic structures.

It added that Latin American nations are prioritizing economic diversification, green development and next-generation infrastructure projects, creating new opportunities for bilateral cooperation.

The report also cautioned investors about challenges including uneven regional openness, disparities in infrastructure quality, volatile financing costs and varying tax policies across countries.

"Latin American countries have distinct stratifications in their stages of economic and social development. Chinese companies investing in the region need to adopt a gradient and differentiated strategy. They need to strictly abide by local laws and regulations, practice sustainable development, enhance local capabilities through technological cooperation, and achieve win-win results for the economy and the environment," said Lyu Bole, board chairman, Dagong Global Credit Rating Co. Ltd.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of the China-CELAC Forum, the first multilateral platform that includes China and all 33 independent countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region.

China-Latin America cooperation extends to emerging areas amid deepened mutual trust: report

China-Latin America cooperation extends to emerging areas amid deepened mutual trust: report

China-Latin America cooperation extends to emerging areas amid deepened mutual trust: report

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the situation in Iran is "under total control" following violence linked to protests that spiked over the weekend.

Addressing foreign diplomats in Tehran, the foreign minister noted that armed terrorist groups had infiltrated the protests, attempting to divert them from their legitimate course. He claimed that evidence has been gathered showing Iranian security forces being shot at, with the aim of causing further casualties. He accused the United States and Israel of exploiting the unrest to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.

Araghchi further stated that the government is closely monitoring developments on the streets, emphasizing that "the situation has come under control." He also affirmed that internet services, curtailed during the unrest, would be restored after coordination with security agencies.

The government has engaged in dialogue with merchants and protest representatives and initiated reforms to address grievances related to price hikes and currency depreciation. Iran has taken a series of actions and measures to respond to the demands of peaceful demonstrators, the foreign minister said.

Earlier on Sunday, Araghchi said that clear evidence links recent riots and vandalism of public facilities in Iran to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. This came after former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned Mossad agents operating on Iran's streets in a social media post. The Iranian foreign minister asserted that police are being attacked by "terrorists" acting under the direction of Israeli operatives, whom Pompeo publicly acknowledged.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and U.S. sanctions.

Iranian foreign minister says situation "fully under control," accuses Israeli intelligence of stoking unrest