Editor's note: Pan Deng, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a member of the Academic Committee at the Charhar Institute and the Executive Director of the Latin America and Caribbean Region Law Center of China University of Political Science and Law. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

It has become a diplomatic tradition for Chinese foreign ministers to choose Africa for their first annual visit. This year, however, two Western Hemisphere countries have been deliberately added. Brazil is a global power in Latin America and an important stabilizing force in the multi-polar system; Jamaica is an important country in the Caribbean, which has a strong willingness to carry out pragmatic cooperation with China. In addition, this year coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil, and the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership between China and Jamaica. Wang Yi's itinerary design is not only timely but also a significant landmark, highlighting China's increasing emphasis on Latin America.

As early as the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, China's foreign policymakers noticed that the vast regions outside the "Western center" were in the position of being bullied by the colonial system, thus resulting in a long period of political oppression and economic exploitation. They became areas where China could make a breakthrough when facing diplomatic isolation from the West. Although the Soviet Union and the socialist bloc under its leadership remained the priority of China's foreign strategy due to ideological influences, these countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America had more in common with China in terms of "fighting for independence," "opposing oppression" and "seeking autonomy," which were the defining themes of that era.

This strategy continued into the 1970s, when Sino-Soviet relations entered into a de facto confrontation after a short "honeymoon," resulting in the development of the "Three Worlds" theory, based on the idea that China sees itself in the same bloc with a wide range of Asian, African and Latin American countries, which has continued to this day.

In recent years, the concept of the Global South has emerged and has been moving from a vague academic concept to a clear multilateral actor. Coupled with the fact that China has formed a clear identity, positioning itself as a country of the Global South, the importance of Asia, Africa and Latin America in China's foreign strategy is thus self-evident.

Most comfortable power for Latin America

For China, however, the development of partnership with Latin America has many other differences than that with Asia and Africa. Not only is it geographically located in the other hemisphere, but in terms of values, political logic, economic institutions, patterns of social governance, etc., this continent has been more integrated into the Western system. This is why, although China often cites the juxtaposition of Asia, Africa and Latin America as some of the considerations in its foreign relations, the relations between China and Latin America tend to lag behind those between China and Asia, and between China and Africa. This gap is even more obvious when economic and trade cooperation is put aside.

In other words, regarding itself as a member of developing countries, now China is trying to deepen its engagement with Latin American countries in order to make up for its shortcomings in its engagement with the Global South. It is not, as some people have misinterpreted or discredited, that China is making an aggressive diplomatic "attack" or even trying to provoke "geopolitical conflict."

Unlike the traditional international relations thinking of "zero-sum game," China has always placed its relations with Latin America "based on and serving the bilateral, but beyond the bilateral." China has never forced its Western Hemisphere partners to take sides in great power competition and has always been cautious in their intra-regional differences. It is precisely for this reason that many Latin American dignitaries believe from the bottom of their hearts that "China is the country that brings the most comfort" in their dealings with extra-territorial powers.

Fruitful results of Wang Yi's visit

Brazil looks forward to "learning from China's experience in governance," said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during his meeting with Wang Yi, adding that Chinese enterprises are welcome to invest in the Latin American country. In turn, China will also prepare for bilateral high-level exchanges in the next stage, convene the seventh meeting of the China-Brazil High-level Coordination and Cooperation Committee, and fully support Brazil in hosting the G20 Leaders' Summit, the BRICS Leaders Meeting, and the UN climate change conference.

A high degree of consensus on cooperation was also reached during Wang Yi's meeting with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness. Wang noted that Jamaica is the first Caribbean country to establish a strategic partnership with China and that China will always stand on the side of developing countries. As Jamaica, a tropical island country, faces serious threats from hotter temperatures, droughts, floods and sea level rise, Holness deeply understands the urgency of climate change, thereby calling for continued support from China to enhance the resilience of small island countries to the climate crisis.

Looking back on 2023, the circle of friends of the Belt and Road Initiative in Latin America has continued to expand, with 22 countries having signed memorandums of understanding with China. The Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative put forward by China have gained increasing recognition and support from more and more Latin American countries. China and Honduras have established diplomatic relations, and China's partnerships with Venezuela and Uruguay have been upgraded. Nicaragua has signed a free-trade agreement with China, and the "common divisor" of China-Latin America cooperation is continuing to expand.

The year 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive cooperative partnership between China and Latin America and the founding of the community with a shared future for two parties, and both sides hope to take this opportunity to raise their engagement to new heights.

At a time when the global economy is struggling to recover and the UN development agenda is suffering from setbacks, the Global South, represented by China and Latin American countries, is more eagerly looking forward to development. It is believed that in the new year, China and Latin America will seek common development paths and achieve respective interests through strengthening solidarity and coordination, and inject more certainty into this uncertain world.

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