Against unilateral headwinds, China stands united with LAC nations

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"Only through unity and cooperation can countries safeguard global peace and stability and promote worldwide development and prosperity," Chinese President Xi Jinping urged for unity at the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) forum in Beijing on Tuesday.

Warning of "bullying" threats, Xi made clear that China is willing to work with countries against the backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions and bloc confrontation. In a gesture to show its sincerity, China also pledged to provide 66 billion yuan ($9.2 billion) in credit to CELAC countries to support their development.

Covering one-fifth of the world's land area and making up a quarter of the global population, China and the LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) form one of the most vibrant regions worldwide. As developing states with shared aspirations, China and LAC countries face similar development tasks and thus can leverage their complementary economic strengths for mutual benefits.

As Xi stressed at Tuesday's gathering, development is the inherent right of China and LAC countries as important Global South members and fairness and justice are their shared pursuits. For this end, the two sides have been committed to shared growth under cooperative mechanisms including the China-CELAC forum and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The forum – "a young seedling" as Xi once described – has taken firm root and grown into a "great, sturdy tree" over the past 10 years. Hosting a constellation of institutional interactions, including ministerial meetings and specialized seminars, the forum matures into a well-developed and multi-layered platform that facilitates the alignment of development strategies, strengthens political trust and fosters people-to-people connections between China and the LAC.

Under the BRI framework, over 200 infrastructure projects have been implemented in the LAC region, generating over one million jobs for local people. So far, more than 20 LAC countries have joined the BRI framework and 10 have signed cooperation plans with Beijing under the initiative.

For instance, the Chancay Port Project Phase I can generate over 8,000 direct employment opportunities. The direct container shipping routes connecting Shanghai and Chancay could reduce the transit time for cargo between China and Peru to just 23 days.

Under these cooperative mechanisms, relations between the two sides have prospered over the past years. Trade between China and the region reached $518.4 billion last year, doubling the amount from 10 years earlier and more than 40 times that at the beginning of this century.

China has also signed free trade agreements with countries including Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Nicaragua. By 2023, China's investments in the region had surpassed $600 billion, exceeding the targets Xi set in 2014 when he met Latin American and Caribbean leaders for enhanced cooperation.

"We unite in tough times and conquer challenges through mutual support," Xi said Tuesday. The leaders of LAC countries have warmly received China's message of unity. Countries "must not destroy our trade or threaten each other with bombs," Colombian President Gustavo Petro said at the forum.

"China has often been treated as though it were an enemy of global trade when actually China is behaving like an example of a country that is trying to do business with countries which, over the past 30 years, were forgotten by many other countries," Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said, as he is seeking strengthened cooperation with China on infrastructure during his trip to China this week.

Against surging undercurrents of protectionism and unilateralism, China stands ready to work with LAC countries and the rest of the world to safeguard multilateralism and maintain the stability of global industrial and supply chains. As Xi warned, "bullying and hegemony will only lead to self-isolation" and unity is the only way out for common development and prosperity.

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