Zhang Run, director-general of the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, speaks at a news conference in Beijing on June 9, 2025. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT

China is a reliable partner for Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries, committed to fostering mutual development and upholding global fairness, Director-General of the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Foreign Ministry Zhang Run said on Monday.

Speaking at a press briefing, Zhang highlighted the outcomes of the recent Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (China-CELAC) Forum held in Beijing last month, where Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech on May 13, 2025, announcing the launch of five programs to advance shared development and revitalization with Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries and providing strategic guidance for the future development of China-LAC relation.  

The meeting adopted the Beijing declaration of the meeting, and the China-CELAC joint action plan for cooperation in key areas (2025-2027), Xinhua reported. 

"In the face of seething undercurrents of geopolitical and bloc confrontation and the surging tide of unilateralism and protectionism, the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum broke through external disruptions and achieved full success, showcasing the strong resilience of China-LAC relations," Zhang said.

"China views LAC countries as a vital component of the Global South and an important force for promoting multipolarity and democratization of international relations," Zhang said, stressing that the region has never been anyone's "backyard." Cooperation between China and the LAC on the basis of equality and mutual benefit not only advances global development but also delivers tangible benefits to the peoples of both sides, he said.

Zhang noted that China has established different types of partnerships with 16 LAC countries, including a community with a shared future with Cuba and a China-Brazil community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet, which continues to grow in substance.

The diplomat underscored the deep integration of interests between China and LAC countries, noting that LAC nations widely support the China-proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI) and over 20 countries have strengthened alignment of their development strategies with China under the Belt and Road Initiative.

According to Zhang, trade between China and the LAC region reached $518.4 billion in 2024, doubling the figure recorded a decade ago. China has remained the second-largest trading partner of the LAC for consecutive years, implementing over 200 infrastructure projects, launching numerous production capacity cooperation initiatives, and creating millions of jobs in the region.

On international affairs, Zhang emphasized that China and LAC countries stand in solidarity, firmly upholding the UN-centered international system, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms of international relations rooted in the UN Charter's purposes and principles. Both sides resolutely oppose interference in internal affairs, hegemonism, and power politics.

Recently, certain countries have repeatedly spread fallacies to discredit cooperation between China and the LAC, while some even blatantly pressured regional nations to take sides and hyped up confrontations against China's influence in the Western Hemisphere. "Such attempts are doomed to fail," Zhang said.

"Between China and LAC countries, there is only sincere mutual support and a genuine desire to advance hand in hand, free from the geopolitical calculations of 'zero-sum games' or 'winner-takes-all' mentalities. Slandering others does not make one popular. The Pacific Ocean is broad enough to remain unshaken by any storms and has enough space to accommodate all coastal parties," Zhang said.

With LAC nations increasingly asserting strategic independence, China pledges unwavering support for their development paths and regional integration. "We'll deepen mutual trust and safeguard each other's core interests," Zhang stated.  

"No matter how the international landscape evolves, China will always be the LAC's reliable partner," the diplomat said, urging joint efforts to "hold the future firmly in our own hands."