President Hu Jintao paid state visit to Costa Rica, Cuba, Peru and Greek from Nov. 16 to 26. It is the third time for Chinese president to visit Latin America since his visit to the region in 2004 and 2005.
The visit is deemed as a crucial one on a special occasion. As the world suffers financial recession triggered by US subprime mortgage crisis, the economic slowdown is spreading from industrialised nations to emerging countries. China and Latin American countries, all being developing countries, face the same challenge of how to efficiently tackle the financial crisis. Furthermore, China’s Policy Paper on Latin America and the Caribbean released on Nov.5 laid solid foundation for Hu’s visit.
Hu’s current visit is hailed as a vital measure to seek new breakthrough for China-Latin American relations under the new circumstance. China’s ties with Latin American countries witnessed smooth and health growth thanks to development for over half a century.
China-Latin American relation is at its golden period so far, but still faces the challenge of striving for further development on a new start point.
Politically, China and Latin America countries conducted frequent high-level exchanges, and political mutual trust also saw improvement. In the year of 2008 alone, China has welcomed Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, Peruvian president Alan Garcia, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula la Silva, Mexican president Felipe Calderon as well as Venezuelan president Hugo for state visit.
Trade and economy also witnessed swiftly and vigourouly advancement, with bilateral trade recording 102.61 billion US dollars in 2007, 100 times higher than that 30 years ago. It is also the first time to break the benchmark of 100 billion US dollars, and three years earlier to achieve the goal of 100 billion US dollars in bilateral trade in 2010 set by President Hu on his visit to the region in 2004.
The three countries president Hu visits have their own characteristics, but they also can represent certain countries. Geographically speaking, Cuba is located in Caribbean region, Peru in South America; from the perspective of country scale, Peru, Cuba and Costa Rica are big, medium-sized and small countries respectively; on bilateral relations, Cuba was the first of 33 South American countries, and the only one socialist country in west hemisphere that established diplomatic ties with China in 1960; Costa Rica, China’s latest diplomatic partners, is the only one of the seven Central American countries that set up relations with China in June 2007; Peru, who has the most Chinese descendents in Latin America, is one of China’s key trade partners and the host of 16th APEC Summit. Hu’s visit will not only boost bilateral ties, but also enhance the steady and healthy development of China-Latin American ties.
Being a big event in the history of China-Latin America relations, Hu’s visit will usher bilateral ties to a new phase. During the visit, Hu will further set forth China’s policy towards Latin America, and make policy’s three objectives, namely, seeking political mutual respect and trust and expanding common ground; realising economic mutual benefit and deepening cooperation; promoting cultural growth and close exchange, well understood by Latin Americans. Meanwhile, China will voice hopes to expand cooperation with Latin America in the fields of politics, economy, human, social peace and stability, as well as judicial system.
The signing of a series of cooperation agreement with these three countries, the free trade agreement with Costa Rica in particular will push China-Latin American economic and trade to a new high.
President Hu brings the latest financial information to Latin America right after G-20 Summit will definitely help to facilitate opinions and stands on major issues. President Hu will expand China’s influence in Latin America and certainly arouse a new round of “China fever” in the region.
By People's Daily Online
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