The embassies of Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Nicaragua in China jointly hosted a cultural event in Beijing on Thursday to celebrate the 204th anniversary of the independence of Central American countries.
The four countries declared their independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. Each year, they hold commemorative events to honor their shared history, culture, and heritage.
Salvador Moncada, the Honduran ambassador to China, reflected on the century-long struggle of the Central American people for independence in his speech. He noted that the cultural event highlighted the strong foundation of unity and cooperation among the four countries.
Moncada also emphasized the growing cooperation between Honduras and China in areas such as trade, infrastructure, and culture. He pointed out that Central American products, such as coffee and bananas, are increasingly popular in the Chinese market, and that collaboration in energy and agriculture has brought new momentum to regional development.
Other ambassadors echoed similar sentiments during the event.
Alfredo Ortuno Victory, Costa Rica's ambassador to China, said that music, as a universal language, has helped bring the people of China and Central America closer together. He also expressed strong confidence in the growing cooperation between China and Costa Rica, particularly in the field of sustainable development.
Luis Oswaldo Lopez Alvarez, El Salvador's ambassador to China, stated that practical cooperation between the two countries has yielded significant results in recent years, contributing greater stability and momentum to El Salvador's national development.
Ramiro Cruz Flores, Nicaragua's ambassador to China, praised China's support for Central America and underscored the importance of multilateralism. He reaffirmed Nicaragua's firm commitment to the one-China principle and expressed hope for further deepening of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
Zhang Run, director-general of the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, extended congratulations to all guests on behalf of the Chinese side.
Zhang expressed high appreciation for the four countries' firm adherence to the one-China principle. He noted that China has achieved remarkable cooperation with them in areas such as economy and trade, infrastructure, agriculture, energy, and culture. He also highlighted that characteristic products from Central America are widely appreciated by the Chinese people.
"In 2024, the total trade volume between China and the four countries reached 13 billion U.S. dollars, of which China's imports were nearly 5 billion U.S. dollars. Both sides have exchanged delegations in art, media, tourism and other areas. China is committed to upholding the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, openness and inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation in developing relations with Latin American countries, including those in Central America," said Zhang Run.
Li Xia, general manager of CCTV Video News Agency (CCTV+), was invited to attend the event, where she engaged in extensive exchanges with diplomatic envoys and media representatives from various countries. She warmly invited all parties to take part in the "Global South Media Partners" initiative.
Diplomatic envoys from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Bolivia, Panama, Chile, Croatia, and other countries in China praised CCTV+ for its active role in promoting media cooperation among Global South nations. They expressed their commitment to continuing the advancement of cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries, and to jointly building a community with a shared future for humanity.
"We have a lot of expectations -- we Central Americans -- for our bilateral relations with China, because China and our countries both come from the same roots. We started very poor, and we are little by little gaining our place in the world. It's very important for the world to know who we are and what we are doing. The media is the instrument to communicate all our successes," the Costa Rican ambassador said.
Diplomatic envoys from various countries have also recorded video messages for the Inaugural Meeting of the Global South Media Partners and the 13th Global Video Media Forum, which will be hosted by CCTV+ in early November.
Central American countries mark 204th independence anniversary with joint celebration in Beijing
