Write a new chapter in building a community with a shared future in China and Latin America

——Keysight speech at the opening ceremony of the 4th Ministerial Conference of the China-Latin America Forum

(May 13, 2025, Beijing)

President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China

  On the morning of May 13, President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the 4th Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of the China-Latin America and Caribbean Countries at the Beijing National Convention Center and delivered a keynote speech. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yin Bogu

Dear President Petro,

Dear President Lula,

Dear President Borichi,

Dear President Rosef,

Representatives of Member States of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States,

Ladies and gentlemen, friends:

  I am very happy to meet with all new and old friends from Latin America and Caribbean countries in Beijing. On behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, I would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone’s arrival!

  In 2015, together with representatives of Latin American and Caribbean countries, I attended the opening ceremony of the first ministerial meeting of the China-Latin America Forum in Beijing, and announced the establishment of the China-Latin America Forum. Over the past 10 years, with the careful cultivation of both sides, the China-Latin America Forum has grown from a young seedling to a tall tree, and I feel very pleased.

  Although China is far apart from Latin America and the Caribbean, its friendly exchanges have a long history. As early as the 16th century, "Chinese ships" full of friendship shuttled across the Pacific, opening the prelude to China-Latin America exchanges. After the 1960s, as New China established diplomatic relations with some Latin American and Caribbean countries, exchanges and cooperation between China and Latin America became closer. Since the new century, especially in recent years, China and Latin America have been writing a story of sharing a shared future.

  ——We work together and support each other. China appreciates Latin America and the Caribbean countries that have established diplomatic relations have always adhered to the one-China principle, firmly support Latin America to follow a development path that conforms to its own national conditions, and support Latin America to safeguard national sovereignty and independence and oppose external interference. In the 1960s, large-scale mass marchs were held across China to support the Panamaian people in regaining their canal sovereignty; in the 1970s, Latin American countries launched a struggle to defend 200 nautical miles of maritime rights, and China clearly supported the reasonable demands of the vast number of developing countries. Since 1992, China has voted 32 times in a row at the UN General Assembly to support the resolution to end the U.S. blockade against Cuba.

  ——We stand at the forefront and cooperate with each other win-win situations. China and Latin America adapt to the general trend of economic globalization and promote the continuous deepening of practical cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, finance, science and technology, infrastructure construction and other fields. The two sides have implemented more than 200 infrastructure construction projects within the framework of high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" and created millions of jobs. China-Latin America satellite cooperation has become a model of south-south cooperation in the high-tech field, and Peru's Qiankai Port has successfully opened a new Yala land-sea channel. China has signed free trade agreements with Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua and other countries. Last year, China-Latin America trade volume exceeded US$500 billion for the first time, more than 40 times that of the beginning of this century.

  ——We watch over each other and overcome difficulties together. China and Latin America actively carry out cooperation in disaster prevention, mitigation and relief, and work together to deal with natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes. Since 1993, China has sent 38 medical teams to Caribbean countries. In the face of the century-old epidemic, China took the lead in providing more than 300 million doses of vaccines and nearly 40 million pieces of medical supplies to Latin American and Caribbean countries, and dispatched multiple medical expert teams to help protect the lives and safety of hundreds of millions of people in regional countries.

  ——We are united and collaborative and have the courage to take responsibility. China and Latin America practice true multilateralism, jointly uphold international fairness and justice, promote the reform of the global governance system, and promote the multipolarization of the world and the democratization of international relations. We actively respond to global challenges such as climate change and jointly promote the global biodiversity governance process. China and Brazil jointly issued the "six-point consensus" on political resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, which received positive responses from more than 110 countries, contributing wisdom and strength to solving international hot issues.

  Facts have proved that China and Latin America have become a community of shared future for joint progress. Its distinctive background is equality, strong driving force is mutual benefit and win-win, and the mind is openness and inclusiveness. The fundamental pursuit is to benefit the people, and it has vigorous vitality and broad development prospects.

  Dear guests and friends!

  At present, the world's century-long changes are accelerating, and multiple risks are intertwined and superimposed. Only by uniting and cooperation can all countries maintain world peace and stability and promote global development and prosperity. There are no winners in tariff wars and trade wars, and bullying will only isolate themselves. China, Latin America and the Caribbean countries, are important members of the global South. Independence is our glorious tradition, development and revitalization is our natural right, and fairness and justice are our common pursuit. Faced with geopolitics and undercurrents of confrontation and the growth of unilateralism and protectionism against the current, China is willing to work with Latin America to launch five major projects to jointly seek development and revitalization, and jointly build a community with a shared future between China and Latin America.

  The first is the unity project. China is willing to continue to support each other on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns. The two sides should maintain close exchanges in various fields and strengthen communication and coordination on major international and regional issues. In the next three years, China will invite 300 political party cadres from member states of Latin America to visit China every year to exchange experience in governing the country. China supports Latin American and Caribbean countries to expand their influence on the multilateral stage and is willing to work with Latin America to firmly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, and to make a common voice in international and regional affairs.

  The second is to develop projects. China is willing to work with Latin America to jointly implement the global development initiative, firmly safeguard the multilateral trading system, maintain the stability and smooth global industrial chain and supply chain, and maintain the international environment of open cooperation. The two sides should strengthen the docking of development strategies, deepen the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road", deepen cooperation in traditional fields such as infrastructure, agriculture, food, energy and minerals, expand cooperation in emerging fields such as clean energy, 5G communications, digital economy, and artificial intelligence, and implement the China-Latin America science and technology partner plan. China will import more high-quality products from Latin America and encourage Chinese companies to expand their investment in Latin America. In order to support the development of Latin America and the Caribbean countries, China will provide Latin America with a credit quota of RMB 66 billion.

  The third is the civilization project. China is willing to work with Latin America to jointly implement the Global Civilization Initiative, establish a civilization concept of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness, and promote the common values ​​of all mankind of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom. Deepen exchanges and mutual learning between China and Latin America civilizations and hold a dialogue meeting on China-Latin America civilizations. Deepen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture and art and hold the "Latin American Art Season". Strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of cultural heritage such as joint archaeology, protection and restoration of historical sites, museum exhibitions, etc., carry out research on ancient civilizations, and cooperate to combat the illegal trafficking of cultural property.

  The fourth is the peace project. China is willing to work with Latin America to implement the global security initiative, support the "Announcement on the Declaration of Latin America and the Caribbean as Peace Zones" and the "Declaration of 33 Latin America and the Caribbean on the Establishment of Nuclear-free Zones", strengthen cooperation in disaster governance, cybersecurity, counter-terrorism, anti-corruption, drug control, and combat transnational organized crime, and strive to maintain regional security and stability. China will implement law enforcement training projects based on the needs of member states of the Latin Community and provide equipment assistance within its capacity.

  The fifth is the people’s heart project. In the next three years, China will provide 3,500 government scholarship quotas, 10,000 training quotas to members of the Latin America Community, 500 international Chinese teacher scholarship quotas, 300 training quotas for poverty reduction technical talents, and 1,000 "Chinese Bridge" project group quotas to China, implement 300 "small but beautiful" people's livelihood projects, actively promote vocational education cooperation projects such as the Luban Workshop, and support member states of the Latin America Community to carry out Chinese education. China will hold the "China-Latin America Love" Chinese film and television program exhibition, striving to complete the mutual translation of 10 excellent TV series or excellent audio-visual programs every year. China will hold the "China-Latin America and Caribbean Countries Tourism Dialogue" with Latin America. In order to further facilitate friendly personnel exchanges between the two sides, China decided to implement the visa-free policy to five countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region in the first batch, and expand the coverage of regional countries in a timely manner.

  Dear guests and friends!

  There is an ancient Chinese poem "Life is happy to know each other", and there is also a proverb in Latin America, "If you have friends, you will have treasures." No matter how the international situation changes, China has always been a good friend and partner of Latin America and the Caribbean countries. Let us join hands, move forward side by side on our respective modernization journey, and jointly write a new chapter in building a community with a shared future between China and Latin America.

[Editor in charge: Zhao Wenhan]