Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a welcome ceremony held by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa at the airport in Quito, Ecuador, Nov. 17, 2016.

From Nov. 17 to 23, General Secretary Xi Jinping of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), also Chinese president, made his third trip to Latin America since taking office in 2013, cementing Asia-Pacific cooperation and China-Latin America relations after a string of bilateral and multilateral activities.

During the week-long tour, Xi paid state visits to Ecuador, Peru and Chile and attended the 24th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting.

Promoting Asia-Pacific cooperation

At the APEC meeting in Lima, Peru, Xi stated that economic globalization is an irresistible trend, calling on APEC members to leverage the Asia-Pacific's role as a growth engine and work for an innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive world economy.

Xi renewed his call for pushing forward the building of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), which was launched at the 2014 APEC meeting in Beijing.

It is a strategic initiative crucial for the long-term prosperity of the Asia-Pacific, noted the President. "We should firmly pursue the FTAAP as an institutional mechanism for ensuring an open economy in the Asia-Pacific," he said, labeling openness as the lifeblood of the Asia-Pacific economy.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (5th L F) poses for a group photo with other participants of the 24th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima, Peru, Nov. 20, 2016.

Once established, the FTAAP would be the largest free trade area in the world and could add an estimated US$2.4 trillion of output to the global economy.

Xi also underlined the need for a multi-dimensional connectivity network and a well-connected Asia-Pacific community.

China is making progress with the Belt and Road Initiative, he said, adding that the initiative will enhance connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region and pledging to seek synergy in development strategies with related parties.

The Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road initiative proposed by Xi in 2013. The initiative brings together countries in Asia, Europe and Africa via overland and maritime networks.

Xi's proposals demonstrated China's image as a responsible major player and its key role in boosting confidence and building consensus, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

Building a China-LatAm community with a shared future

"We will strengthen strategic communication and dialogue on global issues and strive for greater representation from emerging markets and developing countries," Xi said at the Peruvian Congress, expounding China's policies on Latin America.

Xi proposed that China, Latin America and the Caribbean seek synergy in their development strategies and enhance practical cooperation, outlining a path towards building a China-Latin America community with a shared future.

China proposed a roundtable discussion on environment and development policies be held in Beijing next year and looks forward to receiving active responses from Latin American countries, he said.

He also noted that China will firmly support Latin American countries in their search for developmental paths suited to national conditions, and urged the two sides to promote the development of the China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Forum.

Xi also attended the closing ceremony of the China-Latin America and Caribbean 2016 Year of Culture Exchange in Peru and a summit of Chinese and Latin American media executives in Chile, pledging to deepen cultural dialogues and media exchanges between the two sides.

"President Xi's visit to Latin America is a critical moment not only to address the positive role of China in the region's future sustainable development but also to build China's image as a pro-globalization economy fighting against rising protectionism," commented Niu Haibin, deputy director at the Center for American Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies.

Print E-mail

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

Add your comments...

• User Name Required
• Your Comment
• Enter the words you see:   
  Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.