mutual benefit and development.
China is also focused on specific policy goals in Latin America.
These are:
Promote mutual respect and
trust, and expand common
ground. China adheres to the Five
Principles of Peaceful Coexistence
and works for equality and mutual respect in its relationships
with Latin American countries.
In this vein, we will continue to
strengthen dialogue and communication with the region to ensure
that we understand our mutual
interest and support each other’s
core interests.
Deepen cooperation and
achieve win-win results. China
wants to become Latin America’s
partner in economic cooperation and trade—all with the goal
of mutually beneficial development that improves our respective
economic strengths and trading
potential.
Boost common progress and intensify exchanges. We seek more
cultural and people-to-people exchanges with Latin America as a
way to enhance our mutual learning. Such exchanges promote the
kind of shared experience that allows both sides to contribute to
global development and human
progress.
“We have an open attitude toward trilateral cooperation among China, the United States and Latin America.”
division of labor and the restructuring of national industries. But
Chinese–Latin American economic cooperation and trade is
not as mechanical and simple as
the way you describe it.
If that were so, no one could
explain why Chinese–Latin American trade has been growing at
an annual rate of over 30 percent
for nearly a decade, and why both
sides have positive attitudes toward closer economic cooperation
and trade. In fact, trade between
China and Latin America is basically balanced, and the structure
is improving gradually. China and
Latin America complement each
other more than they compete
with each other in product structure, market and attracting foreign
investment.
As economic cooperation and
trade grow rapidly, it is only natural that there is competition in
particular areas. The important
thing is that, on the whole, there
is continuous and steady progress.
Chinese–Latin American cooperation continues to expand in scale
and increase in level. The two
sides have achieved a basic consensus: they are both committed to
using their strengths and tapping
their potential so as to become
business partners of mutual benefit and promote their common
development.
Li Jinzhang: China and the
U.S. are both ready to contribute
to the development and stability of Latin America according
to their ability. The development of the Latin American
economy has provided space for
both countries to cooperate in
Latin America. We have an open
attitude toward trilateral cooperation among China, the U. S.
and Latin America.
At the same time, we believe
that relevant cooperation must
fully respect the will of Latin
American countries, follow the
openness and transparency principle, and fully accommodate
the concerns and needs of Latin
American countries regarding
their economic and social development.
AQ: Some observers and analysts have raised the concern that,
while China has helped boost
economic growth in the region
through the consumption of raw
materials, China’s manufactured
products compete directly with
Latin America, thus threatening
the region’s ability to move up the
value chain. Do you agree?
AQ: It often appears in China’s relations in the hemisphere
that it is closer to, say, Venezuela or Cuba. Does China
consider itself to have a better
relationship—political and economic—with some countries
over others?
Li Jinzhang: This view is neither objective nor comprehensive.
I do not agree with it. It is true
that economic globalization has
brought new opportunities and
challenges to the international
AQ: Given the number of bilateral and regional FTAs that the U.S.
(Chile, CAFTA-DR, NAFTA, Peru)
and China have with the region, is
there a way to improve the coordination of these agreements to
create better economies of scale?
Li Jinzhang: China does not
draw ideological lines when developing relations with other
countries. We believe that
various social systems and
development patterns should coexist harmoniously.
We are committed to developing friendly relations and
cooperation with Latin American countries on the basis of
sincerity, friendship, equality,
mutual respect, and common development.
