Spotlight: Xi charts new course for China-LatAm community of common destiny

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called on China and Latin American countries to strengthen dialogue on global issues and boost cooperation on domestic development, in a bid to better build their community of common destiny on a new starting point in history.

Xi made the remarks while addressing the Peruvian Congress on his first state visit to the country after attending the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima.

Xi proposed that China and Latin America and the Caribbean hold high the banner of peaceful development and cooperation, seek synergy between their development strategies, speed up and upgrade practical cooperation and bring benefits to both peoples.

In his address, the president also elaborated on China-Peru relations, China's stance on international order and China's economic development.

NEW COURSE FOR CHINA-LATAM TIES

"We will strengthen strategic communication and dialogue on global issues and strive for greater representation and voice of emerging markets and developing countries," the Chinese president said.

He noted that China will firmly support Latin American countries in seeking development paths suited to their national conditions, gaining greater strength and prosperity through unity, and playing a bigger role in regional and international affairs.

Xi called for synergizing development strategies between China and Latin American and Caribbean states, and developing their relationship in the context of international and regional development through active participation in trade and investment arrangements and innovative development in the Asia-Pacific.

He highlighted the role of trade, investment, finance, industry and other sectors in scaling up their bilateral practical cooperation and urged the two sides to promote the development of the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Forum.

"We need to make sure that our people are the ones who promote, conduct and benefit from our cooperation," the president said.

He announced that in the next three years, China will increase the number of training opportunities of various kinds for Latin America and the Caribbean to 10,000.

A center for press exchange will be set up in China and journalists from Latin America and the Caribbean will be invited to study or work in China, he said.

In addition, China would like to suggest a roundtable on environment and development policies be held in Beijing next year and looks forward to having active participation from LatAm countries, he said.

The Chinese president arrived in Peru Friday, the second stop of his ongoing three-nation Latin American tour. He had visited Ecuador and will also travel to Chile.

It is Xi's third visit to Latin America as president since he took office in 2013.

In his address, Xi also reviewed the friendly relations and exchanges between China and Peru, and between China and Latin American countries over the past years.

Before the speech, Xi was awarded the Grand-Cross Medal of Honor of the Peruvian Congress by Luz Salgado, president of the Congress.

During Xi's second Latin American visit in July 2014, he and leaders from the region held a summit meeting and the two sides agreed to establish a comprehensive cooperative partnership featuring equality, mutual benefit and common development. The China-CELAC Forum was also set up during the visit to steer cooperation between China and the 33-member Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

Chinese official statistics showed that China has become the second largest trading partner of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the latter is a major destination for outbound Chinese investment, second only to Asia.

Alfonso Miranda, president of the National Society of Industries' (SNI) Fisheries Committee, said that China is Peru's top trading partner and the deepening of ties is crucial to the economic growth of this country in the years to come.

"The bilateral relations are linked to the aspirations of Peruvian producers to enter the Chinese market, considered to be one of the largest in the world, which would allow us to boost exports," he said.

Carlos Aquino, an economics professor at the National University of San Marcos in Lima, said that one of the most important parts of the Chinese president's speech was his call for intensifying cooperation, and boosting investment and socio-economic development in Latin America in order to improve the quality of life of its people.

"One initiative that is also highly relevant was his desire to see both sides work together, at all levels, to exchange experience, especially China's solid experience in technological development, innovation, education and sustainable development," he said.

NEW MODEL OF INT'L RELATIONS

In his address, Xi urged the international community to push for a new model of international relations featuring win-win cooperation, and foster a community of common destiny for mankind.

China has maintained that countries around the world should make joint efforts to foster a partnership of equality, consultation and mutual accommodation, and a security architecture of fairness and justice that is built and shared by all, he said.

"All countries are equal members of the international community. The big, strong and rich must not bully the small, weak and poor. And the right of every country to independently choose its social system and development path should be upheld," Xi said, adding that all forms of Cold War mentality should be rejected.

As the leader of the world's second largest economy, Xi promised that China will continue to build international peace, contribute to global development and maintain international order.

"Committed to a path of peaceful development, we will never seek hegemony, expansion or sphere of influence, no matter how the international situation may evolve and how much development we can achieve," he said.

China will stay committed to the path of common development, the win-win strategy of opening-up and the balanced approach to friendship and interests, the president said.

"China will share its development experience and opportunities with the rest of the world and welcome other countries on board the express train of its development, so that we can all develop together," he said.

He also pledged that China will continue to stand together with other developing countries and firmly support greater representation and say of developing countries in the international governance system.

On China's development, Xi said it can bring opportunities to the rest of the world, citing that in the next five years, China is expected to import 8 trillion dollars of goods, use 600 billion dollars of foreign investment and invest 750 billion dollars overseas, and Chinese tourists will make 700 million outbound visits.

"All this will present an even bigger market, more capital, a greater variety of products and more valuable cooperation opportunities to countries around the world, including Latin American and Caribbean countries," he added.

Aquino, the economics professor, spoke positively about Xi's remarks on international relations.

"With respect to China's stance on world peace, sustainable development and mutual respect between nations, I think this reflects the humanitarian spirit which has arisen in China and it must fulfill a leading role in global development and stability," he said. Endi