Shared History,Deeper Ties

President Xi Jinpings Latin America trip last month， during which he paid state visits to Ecuador， Peru and Chile and attended the 24th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders Meeting in Lima， underscores the importance the Chinese Government gives to its relations with Latin American countries.

During the visit， President Xi put forward four suggestions on further developing China-Latin America ties： adhering to a path of peaceful development， better synergizing development plans and strategies， speeding up cooperation， and sharing development results. These suggestions indicate Chinas willingness to develop long-term friendships with Latin American countries and support them in their independent selection of their own social systems and development paths. China supports a more united and stronger Latin America and encourages the constituent countries to play a bigger role in regional and global affairs. It hopes to work with those countries and together make the world economy more robust， sustainable， balanced and inclusive.

Chinese and Latin American economies are highly complementary， which lays a solid foundation for aligning their development strategies. On one hand， China needs resources and large markets as it integrates with the rest of the world， and Latin America can provide them. On the other hand， Latin American countries need new driving forces to push forward their development. Investment from China is what they need. Chinas supply-side reform and Belt and Road Initiative offer a historic and strategic opportunity to Latin America.

All Latin American countries are developing countries. Like China， most of them have struggled against colonialism and hegemony， which makes them cherish their independence. A shared history enables the two sides to understand each others interests and concerns and respect each others sovereignty and the development path they choose for themselves. This makes China and Latin American countries reliable partners for political cooperation.

Currently， China is Latin Americas second largest trading partner. Latin America is Chinas second largest foreign investment destination after Asian countries. Under the guidance of the China-Latin American Countries and Caribbean States Cooperation Plan （2015-19）， the two sides have conducted pragmatic cooperation in energy and resources， infrastructure， agriculture， manufacturing， science and technology， innovation， and information technology with a focus on trade， investment and finance.

Cooperation in technology transfer and human resources is also crucial， as President Xi stressed during his visit. In the coming three years， 10，000 Latin Americans will receive training from the Chinese side. China will establish a media exchange center and invite Latin American journalists to study and work in China. With the new initiatives， ChinaLatin America ties will grow stronger and their future will become brighter.