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Economic Watch: China-LatAm economic ties reach new starting point

Xinhua, November 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

China and Latin America are at a new starting point in economic relations following Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visits to the region, experts have said.

Xi returned to Beijing Friday after wrapping up the tour to Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and attending the 24th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting.

During the week-long tour, Xi met with foreign leaders and representatives from different walks of life, and attended a string of bilateral and multilateral meetings and events.

China and Latin America ties have reached a new horizon, said Chile's former ambassador to China Fernando Reyes Matta when asked to comment on Xi's tour.

"Five or six years ago, we were merely talking about fundamental subjects like how to improve economic relations, but now we are discussing China-LatAm ties in the coming 10-15 years, and what direction the relations should take in the first half of the century," Reyes Matta said.

The former ambassador called on Latin American countries to make strategic plans from the point view of a global value chain in developing ties with China. "China has done a lot in this respect, while we neglected it for a long time."

At the APEC meeting in Lima, Peru, Xi put forward a series of key initiatives, injecting impetus to cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, as well as the development of the global economy.

The Chinese president highlighted economic globalization as an irresistible trend, calling for the promotion of trade and investment, and opposition to all forms of protectionism.

Wang Ping, head of the center for Latin America studies at Nankai University, highlighted "complementarity" in Xi's speech at the Peruvian Congress.

Xi said China should align China-LatAm relations with international and regional development, and make China-LatAm development strategies match on both sides.

"China will increase sharing of governance experience and improve planning and coordination of macro policies with Latin American and Caribbean states to better synergize our development plans and strategies," Xi said.

Echoing Xi's proposals, the Chinese government Thursday released its second policy paper on Latin America and the Caribbean, eight years after its first one in 2008.

The policy paper said that the development of China is not possible without the development of other developing countries, including countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Since 2013, the Chinese leadership has set forth a series of major initiatives and measures on strengthening China's relations and cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean, which have provided new development goals and been a driving force in relations.

Building on previous achievements, the paper on Latin America and the Caribbean draws a blueprint for the future, explains new ideas, proposals and initiatives in China's Latin America and Caribbean policy for a new era, and ensures China's cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean.

While addressing the Peruvian Congress, Xi also set out Chinese policies on Latin America. He proposed that China, Latin America and the Caribbean seek synergy in development strategies, improve cooperation and bring benefits to their peoples.

His proposal outlined the path to building a China-Latin America community of common destiny and opened up broader prospects for the development of China-Latin America ties.

Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, said Ecuador, Peru and Chile, are all at a crucial development stage and have a strong aspiration to deepen ties with China.

Xi's visits, his first to the countries as head of state, are a historic event in China-Latin America relations, Wang said.

An important consensus on enhancing mutual political trust and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation has been reached between Xi and the leaders of the three Latin American countries, which creates a new development period in bilateral relations, Wang added. Endi