By Deng Xiaoci
Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend and deliver a speech at the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum in Beijing on May 13, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Sunday, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
As agreed by China and CELAC, the meeting will be held in Beijing on May 13, and will be chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to the spokesperson.
Foreign ministers or representatives from CELAC countries, and heads of relevant regional organizations will attend the meeting, said the spokesperson.
Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Miao Deyu disclosed on Sunday that the meeting will adopt two outcome documents: the Beijing Declaration and a Joint Action Plan.
The Beijing Declaration will reflect the firm resolve of China and Latin America to pursue peace, development, and cooperation. The Joint Action Plan will outline concrete measures for cooperation in areas such as technological innovation, trade and investment, finance, infrastructure, agriculture and food, industrial informatization, energy development, and joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. These measures will guide China-Latin America cooperation over the next three years, Miao said at a press conference on Sunday.
Previously, Xi has sent congratulations to the 9th summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which opened on April 9 in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, and in the congratulatory message, Xi said that the world today is undergoing accelerated changes unseen in a century and that the Global South, including China as well as Latin American and Caribbean countries, is growing with a strong momentum, Xinhua reported in April.
China-Latin America relations, Xi said, have withstood the test of international turbulence and entered a new stage marked by equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and tangible benefits for the people.
This year, China will host the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum in Beijing, Xi noted.
All CELAC member states are welcome to join China in a concerted effort to facilitate development and cooperation and contribute wisdom and strength to addressing global challenges, driving reform in global governance and safeguarding world peace and stability, Xi said.
During a regular press conference on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum will provide important opportunities for China and CELAC countries to discuss development strategies and bring more stability and positive energy to the world.
The convening of the upcoming fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC holds tremendous significance, as it represents a universal and strong voice opposing certain country’s unilateral coercive measures and trade protectionism, Wu Hongying, former director of the Latin American office of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Sunday.
Exemplary ties
At the invitation of President Xi, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will pay a state visit to China from May 10 to 14, according to the website of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Brazilian president arrived in Beijing on Saturday evening for a state visit, CGTN reported.
According to the EBC, a Brazilian public broadcasting state-owned company, Lula is expected to participate in the China-CELAC forum and sign at least 16 bilateral agreements during his state visit to China.
The Secretary for Asia and the Pacific at Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Relations, Ambassador Eduardo Paes Saboia, disclosed at a press conference on Tuesday that “the list of agreements is prolific and varied.” Another 32 agreements, he went on to mention, are under negotiation and could be added to the list, per the EBC report.
Saboia noted that China is Brazil’s largest trading partner, with Brazil maintaining a trade surplus, and a major investor in the country. He emphasized that their bilateral relationship is highly institutionalized.
China has long been Brazil’s largest trading partner and export destination, while Brazil has long been China’s top trading partner in Latin America, the Xinhua reported in November 2024.
China-Brazil cooperation has long served as a model for China-Latin America relations. Frequent high-level visits between the two countries’ leaders, especially the close interactions over the past two years, demonstrate the high importance both sides place on bilateral relations, Wu said, noting that such engagement has promoted comprehensive cooperation in political, trade, and multilateral arenas.
Brazilian Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Ambassador Gisela Padovan, explained that President Lula’s participation in the China-CELAC forum is a reflex of the importance the Brazilian president attaches to regional integration and to President Xi’s recognition of Brazil’s ability to convene nations in Latin America and the Caribbean and devise proposals.
CELAC comprises of 33 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. When he took office for a third term in 2023, President Lula announced Brazil’s return to the bloc after three years away.
The Brazilian government confirmed that China, the world’s largest soybean importer, has lifted restrictions on soybean shipments from five firms previously suspended over phytosanitary concerns, Reuters reported on Thursday.
In 2024, President Xi Jinping visited Brazil, and announced an elevation of bilateral ties to a “community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet,” Xinhua reported.
Observers believe that Lula’s China visit and high-level interaction with Chinese leader would inject fresh momentum into bilateral ties, propelling cooperation to new heights.
Against unilateral coercion
The bne magazine reported that at the recent the 9th summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC,) Latin American leaders converged on April 9 to condemn US trade measures, with Brazilian president warning that “trade wars have no winners” during the summit.
The bne report said that 30 of the 33 CELAC member states adopted the Tegucigalpa Declaration, explicitly rejecting “unilateral coercive measures contrary to international law, including those restricting international trade.”
Brazilian President Lula argued that “arbitrary tariffs destabilize the international economy and raise prices,” emphasizing that the region’s “autonomy is in jeopardy” due to “attempts to restore former hegemonies.” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called for greater regional integration, proposing a Summit for Economic Well-being of Latin America to “achieve greater regional economic integration based on shared prosperity and respect for the sovereignty” of each country, the Agencia Brasil reported.
Against this backdrop, the China-CELAC Forum’s cooperative mechanism serves as a response to the unilateral hegemony of certain countries, reflecting the broader need for Global South collaboration. It is not only a platform for bilateral cooperation but also a stage for multilateral engagement, carrying significant international importance, Wu said.
Ahead of the kick-off of a high-level meeting between China and the US on economic and trade affairs in Geneva, Switzerland, China also moved to accelerate the replacement of US products, Yuyuantantian, a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday.
China signed letters of intent with exporters of Argentina to purchase soybeans, corn, and vegetable oil shortly before the Geneva talks, according to Yuyuantantian. Rui Costa, chief of staff of the Presidency of Brazil, also visited China in late April, said the report.
Brazil expressed a desire to build sustainable, long-term, and actionable partnerships with China to jointly navigate an increasingly complex and volatile global environment, according to Yuyuantantian.
China is opening up its doors wider to receive products with high demand, becoming a formidable market to redirect Bolivia’s exports, which currently face additional tariffs in the US, Ambassador of Bolivia to China Hugo José Siles Núñez del Prado said in an exclusive interview with the Global Times earlier in May.
The remarks came after Bolivian President Luis Arce recently praised the export of 25 tons of chia seeds from the Latin American country to China as “a historic milestone,” describing China as a new market with huge potential, Prensa Latina reported.
