China says its relationship with Latin American and the Caribbean has become closer since the COVID-19 pandemic, as the two regions have become “bound by broader common interests”.

State Councilor and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, addressing a March 7 press conference via video link on the margins of the Fourth Session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC), noted that economic and trade cooperation had continued to bear fruit in the past year, despite the impact of the pandemic.

“Two-way trade has exceeded US$300 billion for three years in a row. Exports from the region to China expanded despite the disruptions of COVID-19,” the foreign minister said.

“According to the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, cooperation with China has become an important driver for economic stability and growth in the region. The pandemic has not hindered our cooperation. Instead, our peoples have grown closer and are bound by broader common interests.”

Wang noted that, since the onset of COVID-19, China’s President Xi Jinping has exchanged letters and phone calls with many Latin American and Caribbean leaders to guide joint efforts in the fight against the coronavirus and to promote economic growth.

China donated 34 million items of medical supplies, equipment

He said China has donated more than 34 million items of much-needed medical supplies and equipment to 30 Latin American and Caribbean countries, held over 40 video conferences to share experience, and is providing vaccines to 12 countries in need in the region.

“Last year marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Latin America and the Caribbean,” Wang said.

“The two sides have stood alongside and supported each other in COVID-19 response and economic recovery. Our cooperation best illustrates that ‘a bosom friend afar brings a distant land near’.”

He added: “The Chilean poet Pablo Naruda wrote, ‘Eternal friendship makes you believe in good things in the world and convinces you that there is a door ready for you to open’. China will continue to strengthen friendship and cooperation with our Latin American and Caribbean friends. Together, we will build a community with a shared future between the two sides, and deliver greater benefits to our two peoples.”

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