Not defined by distance: New vitality in the China-Latin America relationship

BEIJING, Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on China-Latin America relationship:

Not defined by distance: New vitality in the China-Latin America relationship

In English, people use "from China to Peru" to refer to "from one corner of the world to another". Now, China and Peru have become close neighbors despite the distance. With Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Latin America, the growing passion for China and Latin America in respective regions that came in its wake has brought highlights to the China-Latin America relationship.

Speed is a primary feature of the close relationship between China and Latin America. Two weeks ago, the Chancay Mega-port, an important fruit of Belt and Road cooperation, started its operations in the nightfall. Thanks to this expressway on the sea, blueberries, grapes and avocados from Peru can arrive in Shanghai, China in just 25 days, 10 days faster than in the past. In recent years, China has been the fastest-growing importer of Peru's goods. From 2000 to 2022, trade in goods between the two countries increased 35-fold. In the first three quarters of 2024, the goods trade volume has reached 427.4 billion USD, and the total volume for the year is estimated to exceed 500 billion. During President Xi's visit in Peru, the two countries signed a Belt and Road cooperation plan, bringing the number of Latin America signatories to the plan to seven, including Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. All of these bear proof to the leading scale, depth and speed of China-Latin America cooperation.

The China-Latin America relationship has been evolving with innovation. China and Latin American countries are far, far away from each other, but nowadays, people from either side can click on their screens, place an order, and buy themselves premium products from the other continent. Coffee from Colombia and Yerba Mate from Argentina have become popular products for Chinese consumers. In February, 2023, an e-commerce air cargo route between Xiamen and Sao Paulo was opened, via which over 10 million parcels have been sent from China to Latin America to date. Apparel and small items have been welcomed by Latin American customers. In recent years, building the digital Belt and Road was proposed by China and Latin American countries, which seeks to overcome the challenges brought by distance through digital technologies, and achieve collaboration beyond geographical limitations. The e-commerce cooperation between China and Latin America is a vivid flagship of the digital Belt and Road.

The newest feature of China-Latin America cooperation is "green". Latin American countries lend pivotal status to environmental protection and sustainable development. Take Brazil as an example, it is the country with the most environmental protection laws and regulations in the world, exceeding 20,000 items. It is also the first country in the world to include comprehensive environmental protection in its constitution. While China, with its cutting-edge technologies in its "new-trio", namely electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products, echoes with the green development strategies pursued by the Latin American countries. Thus, they have achieved fruitful results in this regard: China's electric vehicle manufacturer giant BYD has invested to set up a factory in Brazil; battery manufacturing company CATL has carried out green development of lithium resources in Bolivia; China's photovoltaic industries have been widely welcomed by Latin American countries… Cooperation between the two in both traditional and green industries is blooming.

Geographical distance will not confine China-Latin America collaboration. Empowered by technology, green and sustainable development, and innovation, the cooperation will enter the "fast lane", and the sound friendship will generate more vitality.

China Mosaic

Not defined by distance: New vitality in the China-Latin America relationship