Chinese President: China-Celac Forum Will Build ‘A New Platform of Joint Cooperation,’ and Foster ‘Peace and Development for the Entire World’
At the opening session of the two-day China-Celac Forum ministerial meeting on Thursday, including representatives of 30 of the 33 nations of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) and China, Chinese President Xi Jinping laid out a stunning perspective of economic and strategic cooperation between the Chinese government and the nations of Celac, telling the gathered leaders,
“Every Celac country, no matter if it’s rich or poor, is equal under the framework of the Forum,” Xi said. “All sides should keep friendly consultation, hold common development and consider interests from all sides in order to ensure a firm political foundation for cooperation.”
The Chinese leader pointed out that south-south cooperation, of the kind represented by China and Celac, has led to the creation of a new world order which is “more just,” as the BRICS grouping has also proposed.
The two regions, which together represent one fifth of the planet, a sixth of the world’s population and seventh part of the world economy, have many common interests and can collaborate to their mutual benefit, Xi underscored.
In dramatic contrast to the imperial, anti-development outlook offered by the governments of the rotting Trans-Atlantic system, Xi Jinping explained that the China-Celac forum should be guided by the “1 + 3 + 6” formula, of “one program, three motors and six priority areas.” Over the next five years, he said, the “three motors” of trade, investment, and financial cooperation must be revved up to their full potential. As for the six priority areas,
The specifics are breathtaking: the Chinese President noted that trade between the two regions has grown from $10 bn. in 2000 to $257 bn. in 2013, but said that over the next ten years, China wants to double that figure to $500 bn. Moreover, his government seeks to increase direct investment in the region to $250 bn. over the next five years. Xi also reported, according to Andes.info Thursday, that China is in the process of putting into place a special $20 bn. credit line for infrastructure investment in the region, a $10 bn. preferential credit line, a $5 bn. infrastructure fund, and a $50 bn. fund for agricultural cooperation. A program of 6,000 scholarships for Latin American and Caribbean students for training and education in China is also being set up, along with a scientific and technological association, a young scientists’ exchange program, as well as a regional China-Celac exchange program in 2016.
This, he emphasized, reflects the “fever” that China has for the Latin American Caribbean region.
The conference will produce a final Declaration of Beijing and the Regulations of the China-Celac Forum. The Beijing Declaration will outline political consensus, establishing the direction of the Forum and guidelines for cooperation. Xi explained,
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