China, CELAC deepen cooperation with major documents

China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) agreed on three major documents on the last day of the first China-CELAC forum ministerial meeting.

The two-day meeting, co-chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Costa Rican counterpart, Manuel Gonzalez Sanz, passed a five-year cooperation plan, regulations for the forum and the Beijing Declaration.

According to the plan (2015-2019), on the political front, China will invite 1,000 party leaders from CELAC members to visit China.

Both sides will strive to achieve a trade volume of 500 billion U.S. dollars and investment of at least 250 billion U.S. dollars within a decade.

Services and e-commerce cooperation should be strengthened to facilitate trade and frictions should be properly handled, the plan said.

Infrastructure projects will help integration in Latin America and the Caribbean and connectivity between China and CELAC.

Civil aviation authorities and enterprises are encouraged to cooperate more and explore the possibility of increasing flights between China and the region.

China promises 6,000 government scholarships for CELAC members from 2015 to 2019 and will set up Chinese language courses in primary and middle schools.

According to the Beijing Declaration, China and CELAC will coordinate on major global issues, and work together on multilateral policy-making with more exchanges between legislative organizations, governments and youth.

Calling the forum a first, Wang said that China and CELAC were embracing opportunities for their all-round cooperation partnership, noting that the forum had given a strong "China-CELAC message" to the world.

China will work for both sides to reap early harvests from the forum and build a new model of South-South cooperation, Wang said. "We will be especially thorough in basic infrastructure. China has great strength in this field including production, techniques and equipment."

China-CELAC cooperation is "open, inclusive and balanced" and excludes no third party, Wang added. "In cooperation with developing countries, China will consider their need for self-development... instead of simply trade and investment or mere one-off sales of resources and energy," he said.

Co-chair Gonzalez described the meeting as "very practical" with an outcome defining concrete areas of cooperation. Key areas include political dialogue, trade, investment, infrastructure, tourism as well as agriculture, industry and science and technology.

The meeting will build a closer CELAC-China relationship and benefit people from both sides, Gonzalez said.

The forum's next meeting will be held in Chile in 2018.