BEIJING, China, CMC—On Tuesday, China unveiled five new programs to advance shared development and revitalization with Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries.
The five programs range from solidarity, development, and civilization to peace and people-to-people connectivity.
Addressing the opening of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing is willing to strengthen solidarity with LAC countries.
He said China would continue to support each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concerns, firmly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, and speak with one voice in global and regional affairs.
Xi said that in the next three years, China will invite 300 members from political parties of CELAC member states to visit China every year to facilitate exchanges on national governance best practices.
The Chinese leader said that on development programs, China is willing to work with LAC countries to implement the Global Development Initiative, resolutely upholding the multilateral trading system, ensuring stable, unimpeded global industrial and supply chains, and promoting an international environment of openness and cooperation.
Xi said the two sides should foster greater synergy between their development strategies and expand high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
He said East Asian countries would import more quality products from LAC countries and encouraged Chinese enterprises to expand their regional investment.
Regarding the civilization program, President Xi called for joint implementation of the Global Civilization Initiative, adding that all parties should uphold the vision of equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness between civilizations, champion humanity’s shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, and enhance China-LAC civilizational exchanges and mutual learning, including through a conference on China-LAC inter-civilizational dialogue.
On the peace program, he called for the joint implementation of the Global Security Initiative, adding that the countries should cooperate more closely in disaster governance, cybersecurity, counterterrorism, anti-corruption, narcotics control, and combating transnational organized crime to safeguard security and stability in the region.
Xi said on the issue of people to people connectivity program, in the next three years, China will provide CELAC member states with 3,500 government scholarships, 10,000 training opportunities in China, 500 International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarships, 300 training opportunities for poverty reduction professionals, and 1,000 funded placements through the Chinese Bridge program, as well as initiate 300 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects, and support CELAC member states in developing Chinese language education.
Xi said China has decided to offer a visa-free policy.
The delegates attending the meeting here have said that the LAC countries and China should work together to promote continuous new progress in building a community with a shared future.
They have called for strengthening the synergy between the development strategies of LAC countries and the Belt and Road Initiative and promoting cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, science and technology, new energy, and education.
and then  countries){kind=link}