China-CELAC Forum bolsters development cooperation: Mexican official

MEXICO CITY -- The relationship between China and Latin America is based on their ties of friendship and cooperation, with both sides committed to striving for shared development, said Mexico's national coordinator at the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Efrain Guadarrama.

Speaking highly of the Third Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum, Guadarrama said the meeting opens "a new chapter" in China-LatAm ties by crafting an agenda to follow over the coming years.

In an interview with Xinhua, Guadarrama, who also serves as director general of the Regional American Organizations and Mechanisms at Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Relations, said Latin America needs to maintain international cooperation with countries such as China, so it can exchange experiences and perspectives that will help the region devise policies and practices to reduce poverty and promote development for the benefit of its population.

"China has been a global example to follow in the eradication of poverty, and China's government fully intends to share its experience," said Guadarrama.

Meanwhile, Guadarrama noted that the CELAC recognizes China's efforts in solidarity with Latin America to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

China has provided support to Mexico and many Latin American countries during their fight against COVID-19, with medical supplies and vaccines, said the official, noting that Chinese vaccines have been the mainstay of numerous countries' national vaccination programs.

Latin America and China have traditionally had many cultural aspects in common, while today they also concur in the area of foreign affairs, including championing multilateralism and universal access to COVID-19 vaccines, he noted.

The agenda highlights the promotion of trade and investment, cooperation in science and technology, participation in the China International Import Expo, and holding high-level meetings on infrastructure.

It also includes "an important portfolio of scholarships that will benefit youth in the Latin American and Caribbean region" with 5,000 scholarships and 3,000 internship positions, Guadarrama said.

"We are beckoned to live in a much more globalized world, and it will be essential to bring China's best practices and knowledge to our region, and be able to be trained and be able to see the world differently," he said.

Ties with China have progressed since the first joint ministerial meeting of the forum in 2015, said Guadarrama.

"CELAC has become a platform that enables ties between the region's 33 countries and China, as such it is a platform that we must strengthen as time goes on, always based on cooperation and (shared) interests," he said.