The 3rd China-Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Development Forum opened on Tuesday in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, gathering representatives from 25 LAC nations, international officials, and experts to explore cooperation potential.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Qiu Xiaoqi, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Latin American Affairs, said that China's high-quality development under its 15th Five-Year Plan will create new growth opportunities worldwide, including for Latin America.
Noting that China proposed the Global Development Initiative, which calls on the international community to prioritize development in global macro-policy frameworks, Qiu said that cooperation between China and LAC countries has continuously deepened and bilateral relations have entered a new phase featuring equality, mutual benefit, innovation, and opening-up that benefits the people.
"China has always viewed and developed China-Latin America relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. We consistently maintain that the status of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace should not be shaken, the path of development and rejuvenation of LAC countries should not be disrupted, and the right of LAC countries to independently choose their partners should not be interfered with," said Qiu.
In recent years, the building of a China-Latin America community with a shared future has achieved continuous progress.
Bilateral trade hit a record 549 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, and China signed over 20 new protocols with multiple countries in the region for agri-food imports, bringing more high-quality Latin American products to Chinese households.
LAC nations have warmly embraced China's four global initiatives on development, security, civilization, and governance.
Meanwhile, China has implemented visa-free policies for five countries in the region, namely Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay, and launched the world's longest direct flight route with Argentina, further facilitating personnel exchanges.
During the forum, the two sides will explore high-quality cooperation on digital empowerment, targeted poverty alleviation, aging population response, and inclusive growth.
"Our region has strategic resources, while China has technology, capital, and logistics. We need to combine our respective strengths to create more value and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results," said Lesly David, Permanent Secretary of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA).
3rd China-LAC Development Forum opens, focuses on high-quality cooperation
