Argentine president's China tour of historical significance

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, who has given up several important overseas trips, including that to a G20 meeting in Australia due to an ankle fracture and other health setbacks, will be out of her wheelchair and visit China Tuesday.

The three-day trip, following Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Argentina last year, bears historical significance as the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership expanded to such new areas as space technology, defense and energy.

Argentina, traditional primary agro-product producer and exporter intends to export more high-tech and value added products to China, its second largest trade partner, as it seeks to optimize economic structure.

China and Argentina have been playing an ever greater role in each other's economic development. China helps Argentina in strategic industries including railway, hydraulic engineering and nuclear power, while the Latin American countries, boasting advanced technology in agriculture-related sectors, helps China to improve food safety.

As an endeavor to further expand the scope of mutually beneficial cooperation, China and Argentina are expected to sign a series of cooperation documents in the areas of trade and economy, law, hygiene, culture and media during the Argentine president's visit to China.

"Either way, chair or no chair, cast or no cast, China awaits us. And the agenda is more important," Cristina said on her twitter account. Doctor has suggested the 61-year-old president use wheelchair if the routes are very long.

In a larger picture, interactions between China and Latin America is of mounting significance to both sides, testified by a flurry of events and documents since the beginning of this year.

The China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) forum ministerial meeting held in Beijing on Jan. 8-9, defining key areas and specific measures for the overall cooperation from 2015 to 2019 between the two sides, bore milestone significance to expanding trade and ivestment and set a paradigm for South-South Cooperation.

Three weeks later, the 3rd Summit of the CELAC, highlighting cooperation with China, pledged again to facilitate the agreements and initiatives of the forum as soon as possible.

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

The determination of the wheelchair-bound Cristina to go to China, somehow symbolized the determination of Latin America to develop ties with China, as the region's economy took a blow from declined exports to traditional export destinations such as the European Union.

Under the downward pressure of the world economy, the Latin American region looks to expand trade with China to diversify exports and increase mutual investment.

In terms of China's investment to Latin America, despite the remarkable amount, there is great potential to be tapped. Investment should be more diversified to cover such spheres as manufacturing, service industry and infrastructure construction, and to that end constant efforts from both sides are demanded.