China's new Silk Road extends to Latin America
By Wang Lei
["china"]
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for upgrade of cooperation between China and Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries in the construction of the Belt and Road, describing the LAC region as a "natural extension" of the ancient maritime Silk Road.
Wang made the remarks in signed articles published in Chinese and LAC newspapers ahead of the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which will be held in the Chilean capital Santiago on Monday.
Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes.
January 8, 2015: Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at the opening ceremony of the First Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Beijing. /Xinhua Photo

January 8, 2015: Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at the opening ceremony of the First Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Beijing. /Xinhua Photo

As ties between China and LAC countries strengthened in recent years, the region has increasingly shown interest in the initiative, which it hopes will bring more investment and technology from the world's second-largest economy. Meanwhile, agricultural products from the LAC region, such as beans, cherries, coffee, wine and beef, are gaining popularity among Chinese consumers.
Last year, the Argentinian and Chilean presidents and high-level representatives from other LAC countries attended the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.
"As we jointly advance the Belt and Road Initiative, we hope to synergize our development strategies at a higher level. Let us enhance top-level planning, deepen policy communication, and formulate road maps and action plans for China-LAC cooperation under the Belt and Road," the Chinese foreign minister wrote in an article published in Jamaica Observer on Saturday.
April 6, 2017: A vineyard near Santiago, Chile. China has become the largest export market of Chilean wine. /VCG Photo

April 6, 2017: A vineyard near Santiago, Chile. China has become the largest export market of Chilean wine. /VCG Photo

'Natural complementarity'

Patricio Giusto, a public policy expert and director of the consulting firm Diagnostico Politico (Political Diagnosis), explained why China-LAC cooperation works during an interview with Xinhua News Agency.
"China, which previously imported innovative technology to be able to produce, today produces cutting-edge technology," he said. "And what it is trying to do is [to] offer the world's different regions access to this new technology, precisely to countries that need it."
There is a surplus of food in LAC countries, but the region lacks "investment in infrastructure and high technology, which China can supply," he noted, hailing the "natural complementarity" between the two sides.
May 20, 2015: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R, front) visits a Chinese equipment manufacturing exhibition, which features heavy machinery, high-speed railway, nuclear power generation, carrier rockets and new energy cars, in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. /Xinhua Photo

May 20, 2015: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R, front) visits a Chinese equipment manufacturing exhibition, which features heavy machinery, high-speed railway, nuclear power generation, carrier rockets and new energy cars, in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. /Xinhua Photo

As China tries to bring the Belt and Road Initiative across the Pacific Ocean, Giusto called on LAC countries to seize the opportunity to work more closely with China.
"The region cannot continue to waste the opportunity China is offering to expand trade, investment, finance, cultural exchange, and a whole bunch of other areas that could be explored, without any shadow of doubt," the political analyst said.

Partnering with China: LAC's 'collective response'

The Belt and Road Initiative is off to a "good start" in the LAC region, according to the Chinese foreign minister.
"Many countries in the region look forward to stimulating their own development and promoting Sino-LAC relations through cooperation within the framework of the initiative," Wang wrote in an article published by People's Daily on Thursday.
Recently, a proposed high-speed railway project in Chile showed how much cooperation in infrastructure between the two sides could offer the region. Construction group China Railways Group Limited (CREC) presented the project, worth 1.5 billion US dollars, to the Chilean government earlier this month, promising to cut travel time between Santiago and the port city of Valparaiso in half to just 45 minutes.
"There are a lot of people [who are] very excited about the chance to connect those two cities," said Maria Silva, a tour guide in Valparaiso, one of Latin America's gateways to Asia. "It'll be very good for stimulating the economy."
Jorge Heine, former Chilean ambassador to China, believes closer ties with China will benefit Latin America.
"I would like to see not just national responses but some sort of collective response from the region saying that it is interested in continuing to partner with China in pushing for Latin American development," he told CGTN.
December 16, 2016: Participants pose for a photo during the opening ceremony of the first Confucius Institute in Venezuela, at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela in Caracas. /Xinhua Photo

December 16, 2016: Participants pose for a photo during the opening ceremony of the first Confucius Institute in Venezuela, at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela in Caracas. /Xinhua Photo

Both China and LAC countries belong to the developing world and both sides share the dream of pursuing national development and people's happiness, said the Chinese foreign minister, who will also pay official visits to Chile and Uruguay.
"As good brothers, good partners and good friends, we will work hand in hand to build a China-LAC community with a shared future," Wang added.