A signed article by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on China–Latin America relations was published today ahead of the opening of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China–CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum in Beijing. The article, titled “Jointly Discussing Development and Revitalization, and Jointly Building a China–Latin America Community with a Shared Future,”  highlights China’s friendship with Latin America as an important driver of a fairer world order.

Wang Yi:

The Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China–CELAC Forum will be held in Beijing on May 13. This important meeting coincides with the 10th anniversary of the forum’s official launch. As the host country, China warmly welcomes friends from CELAC member states and regional organizations across Latin America and the Caribbean, and looks forward to working with all parties to jointly discuss development and revitalization, and to jointly build a China–Latin America community with a shared future.

In July 2014, during the China–Latin America and Caribbean Leaders’ Meeting in Brasília, President Xi Jinping put forward the major initiative of building a China–Latin America community with a shared future. Together with Latin American leaders, he announced the establishment of the China–CELAC Forum, marking a shared political consensus to advance comprehensive cooperation between China and the region. In January 2015, the first ministerial meeting of the China–CELAC Forum was successfully held in Beijing, turning the vision of an inclusive cooperation platform—covering China and all 33 independent countries of Latin America and the Caribbean—into reality.

Over the past decade, under the strategic guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, China and Latin America have upheld principles of equality, pursued mutually beneficial goals, embraced flexible and pragmatic approaches, and fostered an open and inclusive spirit of cooperation. These efforts have propelled the vigorous growth of the forum, with bilateral and multilateral cooperation reinforcing each other and pushing China–Latin America relations into high gear.
A Stronger Foundation of Mutual Trust
Both sides have firmly respected each other’s core interests and major concerns, and have supported one another in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity. Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras have successively established or resumed diplomatic relations with China, making the one-China principle an increasingly shared consensus in the region. To date, China has established various forms of partnerships with 16 countries in the region. It has built a community with a shared future with Cuba, and with Brazil has agreed to “build a China–Brazil community for a more just world and a more sustainable planet”—elevating the value and substance of China–Latin America relations.
Richer Cooperation Outcomes
Countries in the region have broadly supported the Global Development Initiative. More than 20 countries have aligned their development strategies with China under the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2024, China–Latin America trade reached a historic high of $518.4 billion—double the volume from a decade earlier. China has remained the region’s second-largest trading partner for several consecutive years. More than 200 infrastructure projects have been implemented by China across the region, along with numerous industrial capacity cooperation projects, generating over a million jobs. China has also carried out livelihood assistance programs in every country with diplomatic ties, and Chinese enterprises have actively fulfilled their social responsibilities, contributing significantly to local industrialization and socioeconomic development—offering a “China–Latin America model” of win-win cooperation.
Deeper Cultural and Civilizational Exchange
Latin American countries have broadly embraced the Global Civilization Initiative. The China–Latin America Forum on Cultural Dialogue has now been held seven times. China has provided 17,000 government scholarships and 13,000 training opportunities to the region, signed 26 educational cooperation agreements with 19 countries, and established 68 Confucius Institutes or classrooms in 26 countries. Several Latin American countries have made the Chinese Spring Festival a legally recognized holiday. China has also implemented a 240-hour visa-free transit policy for several countries in the region, deepening cultural and people-to-people exchanges and steadily enhancing mutual understanding and goodwill.

Closer Multilateral Cooperation
Both sides firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, support multilateralism based on coordination and cooperation, and resolutely oppose interference in other countries’ internal affairs, as well as hegemony and power politics. China and Latin American countries have maintained close communication within platforms such as the UN, the G20, APEC, and BRICS, promoting reforms in global governance and safeguarding the common interests of developing countries. China and Brazil jointly released a “six-point consensus” advocating a political resolution to the Ukraine crisis and co-initiated the “Group of Friends of the UN Charter” at the United Nations, which has received broad international support.

More Comprehensive Cooperation Architecture
The China–CELAC Forum has established various mechanisms, including ministerial meetings, foreign ministers’ dialogues with the CELAC Quartet, and national coordinators’ meetings. To date, the forum has hosted over 100 events, including three ministerial meetings and 31 sector-specific sub-forums, serving as the main platform for China–Latin America collective cooperation. China’s National People’s Congress has become a permanent observer to the Central American Parliament, and China has become an observer to the Latin American Social Sciences Council. It maintains close ties with regional organizations such as the Latin American Parliament, MERCOSUR, the Pacific Alliance, ALBA, and CARICOM—broadening the support and multiplying the momentum behind China–Latin America relations.

As the Chinese saying goes, “By reviewing the past, we gain insight into the future.” Latin America, too, has a well-known saying: “History is the prophet that looks backward.” Taking a broader and longer-term view of the China–CELAC Forum and the development of China–Latin America relations over the past decade helps us better understand the larger trend, strengthen our confidence, and move forward together into the future. The remarkable achievements of China–Latin America relations over the past ten years show us that:

China–Latin America cooperation is an inevitable choice in line with global development trends.
The collective rise of the Global South has become a defining feature of the world’s profound transformation. As key members of the Global South, both China and Latin America, through deepened cooperation, have voiced a powerful call for unity and self-strengthening among developing nations. This aligns with the broader trend of multipolarity, injects new meaning into the development of China–Latin America relations, and contributes to making the international order more just and equitable.

China–Latin America cooperation is an inevitable choice for achieving global modernization.
Together, China and Latin America account for one-fifth of the world’s land area, one-quarter of the global population, and one-quarter of global economic output. These are some of the most dynamic and high-potential regions in the world. United, China and Latin America can form a vast cross-Pacific market of two billion people—offering both sides a continuous source of development momentum and the confidence to withstand any coercion or pressure.

China–Latin America cooperation is an inevitable choice for upholding global fairness and justice.
China advocates for consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits—standing in stark contrast to hegemonic and bullying behavior. Chinese investment in Latin America and the Caribbean comes with no political strings attached, aligns with local development needs, and helps empower regional progress. By contrast, certain major powers have brought only “negative energy” to the region through their actions. It is increasingly clear who is a trustworthy friend to Latin America and the Caribbean—and who is a reliable long-term partner.

China–Latin America cooperation is an inevitable choice in pursuit of a shared future.
China and Latin America have long supported each other in struggles against imperialism and colonialism, and in the pursuit of national liberation. Both have supported each other in exploring development paths suited to their own national conditions, and have drawn strength from deepening cooperation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the two sides offered mutual support and assistance. History and reality have repeatedly shown that building a China–Latin America community with a shared future is a heartfelt and reciprocal endeavor—expressed not just in words, but in concrete action.

At present, the international landscape is marked by mounting turbulence and uncertainty. The cause of peace and development faces serious challenges, the foundational principles of international cooperation are under strain, and destabilizing factors in the global environment are growing. In particular, certain major powers, driven by an “own country first” agenda, seek to seize the development gains of China, Latin America, and other Global South nations, attempting to delay—or even derail—their modernization processes. But modernization is a legitimate right of all peoples, not the private privilege of a few nations. Turning back the clock of history is unpopular, and hegemonic bullying has no future. In the face of these risks and challenges, China and Latin America must stand on the right side of history, on the side of fairness and justice, and work together to safeguard their development achievements. On the path to modernization, the two sides should continue advancing hand in hand, and jointly build a China–Latin America community with a shared future.

We must safeguard independence and sovereignty.
Without independence, there can be no genuine development, and development gains cannot be sustained. Latin American and Caribbean countries have made clear they seek not only political sovereignty but also true independence in economic and cultural terms. China fully agrees with and supports this aspiration, and stands ready to work with Latin America to firmly support each side’s efforts to explore development paths suited to their national realities. We will oppose all forms of external interference and work toward a more democratic system of international relations.

We must uphold peace and security.
China is the only major country that has enshrined its commitment to peaceful development in its constitution. CELAC summits have repeatedly reaffirmed Latin America and the Caribbean as a “zone of peace.” As forces for international peace, China and Latin America should jointly promote a common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security outlook. We support the peaceful resolution of disputes and reject the pursuit of one’s own security at the expense of others’. We oppose the use or threat of force and the overextension of security concepts.

We must pursue development and revitalization.
Modernization is a shared aspiration of the Chinese and Latin American peoples. We should deepen alignment of development strategies, enhance top-level planning, and energize each other’s development efforts. Connectivity should be expanded, trade and investment facilitation improved, and the China–Latin America mega-market further cultivated. We must deepen industrial capacity cooperation, jointly safeguard the stability of industrial and supply chains, and expand collaboration in cutting-edge and emerging sectors, including talent development. China will also implement more “small yet impactful” livelihood projects to increase the sense of fulfillment among ordinary people.

We must uphold multilateralism.
Multilateralism is a cornerstone of the postwar international order. China and Latin America should commit to genuine multilateralism, firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries. We must jointly oppose unilateralism, defend the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its center, and advocate for a more equitable and orderly multipolar world and a more inclusive and beneficial economic globalization—injecting greater stability and positive momentum into global development.

We must deepen solidarity and cooperation.
CELAC is dedicated to the vision of achieving “great unity among the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean.” The CELAC summit in Havana adopted a Special Declaration on Supporting the Establishment of the China–CELAC Forum. The Forum embodies the deep friendship between the two sides, and its continued development will provide fresh momentum for both China–Latin America relations and regional integration in Latin America and the Caribbean.

As a Latin American proverb puts it, “unity makes strength.” And as a Chinese saying goes, “When everyone rows, the great ship moves ahead.” Let us take the opportunity of the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China–CELAC Forum to bring together our shared will for development, spirit of cooperation, and bond of friendship—so that the building of a China–Latin America community with a shared future may yield even greater results!

Editor: Zhiyu Wang