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China's Policy Paper on Latin America and
the Caribbean (full text)
The Chinese government launched its
first ever policy paper on Latin America and
the Caribbean region. The full text of
the policy paper is as follows:
China's
Policy Paper on Latin America and the
Caribbean
Foreword
The
world today is undergoing major transformation and
adjustment. Peace and
development are
the trend of the times. The move toward multi-
polarity is irreversible
and economic
globalization is gaining momentum. World peace and
development are
facing new
opportunities as well as various challenges. It is
in the fundamental
interest of people
of all countries and also their common aspiration
to share
development opportunities,
jointly address challenges and promote the noble
cause of
peace and development of
mankind.
As the largest developing
country in the world, China is committed to the
path of
peaceful development and the
win-win strategy of opening-up. It is ready to
carry out
friendly cooperation with all
countries on the basis of the Five Principles of
Peaceful
Coexistence and build a
harmonious world of durable peace and common
prosperity.
Latin American
and Caribbean countries are an important part of
the developing
world and a major force
in the international arena. Under new
circumstances, the
development of
relations between China and Latin American and
Caribbean countries
is faced with new
opportunities. In issuing this policy paper on
Latin America and the
Caribbean, the
Chinese Government aims to further clarify the
goals of China's policy
in this region,
outline the guiding principles for future
cooperation between the two
sides in
various fields and sustain the sound, steady and
all-round growth of China's
relations
with Latin America and the Caribbean.
I. The Status and Role of Latin America
and The Caribbean
Latin
America and the Caribbean have a long history,
vast territory and abundant
resources,
and the region enjoys a good foundation for
economic and social growth
and huge
development potential.
Countries in the
region have been actively exploring development
paths suited to their
national
conditions. They have maintained political
stability and continued economic
growth, and the life of the people is
steadily improving. Latin American and
Caribbean countries cherish a strong
desire for self-development through unity and
the commitment to promoting regional
peace, stability and development. The region
on the whole is growing in strength and
its international influence is rising. Latin
American and Caribbean countries have
taken an active part in international affairs
and contributed significantly to world
peace and common development. They are
playing an increasingly important role
in regional and international affairs.
II. China's Relations with Latin
America and the Caribbean
Though China and Latin America and the
Caribbean are far from each other, the two
peoples enjoy a time-honored
friendship. The two sides are at a similar stage
of
development and face the common task
of achieving development. Both sides cherish
the desire for greater mutual
understanding and closer cooperation.
During the twenty years or so after the
founding of New China in 1949, China and
Latin America and the Caribbean mainly
conducted people-to-people exchanges. In
the 1970s and 1980s, China established
diplomatic ties with most countries in the
region. Friendly cooperation between
the two sides in various fields registered
momentous growth in the 1990s. Since
the beginning of the 21st century, the two
sides have enjoyed more frequent high-
level exchanges, stronger political mutual trust
and closer cooperation in economy,
trade, science and technology, culture and
education, and mutual support and close
coordination in international affairs. New
progress has been made in relations
between the two sides in an all-round way at
various levels and across a broad
spectrum of areas.
Friendly cooperation
between China and Latin America and the Caribbean
serves the
fundamental interest of the
two peoples. Future growth of relationship between
the
two sides enjoys great potential
and broad prospects, and will contribute more
significantly to peace and development
of mankind.
III. China's Policy on
Latin America and the Caribbean
To enhance solidarity and cooperation
with other developing countries is
the
cornerstone of China's independent
foreign policy of peace. The Chinese Government
views its relations with Latin America
and the Caribbean from a strategic plane and
seeks to build and develop a
comprehensive and cooperative partnership
featuring
equality, mutual benefit and
common development with Latin American and
Caribbean countries. The goals of
China's policy on Latin America and the Caribbean
are:
-- Promote mutual
respect and mutual trust and expand common ground.
Based on the
Five Principles of
Peaceful Coexistence, China and Latin America and
the Caribbean
will treat each other as
equals and respect each other. They will
strengthen dialogue
and communication,
enhance political mutual trust, expand strategic
common ground,
and continue to show
understanding and support on issues involving each
other's core
interests and major
concerns.
-- Deepen cooperation and
achieve win-win results. The two sides will
leverage their
respective strengths,
tap the potential of cooperation, and seek to
become each other's
partner in economic
cooperation and trade for mutual benefit and
common
development.
-- Draw
on each other's strengths to boost common progress
and intensify exchanges.
The two sides
will carry out more cultural and people-to-people
exchanges, learn
from each other and
jointly promote development and progress of human
civilization.
-- The one
China principle is the political basis for the
establishment and development
of
relations between China and Latin American and
Caribbean countries and regio
nal
organizations. The overwhelming
majority of countries in the region are committed
to
the one China policy and the
position of supporting China's reunification and
not
having official ties or contacts
with Taiwan. The Chinese Government appreciates
such a stance. China is ready to
establish and develop state-to-state relations
with all
Latin American and Caribbean
countries based on the one China
principle.
IV. Strengthen
China's Comprehensive Cooperation with Latin
American and
Caribbean
Region
1. In the Political
Field
(1) High-Level
Exchanges
China wishes to maintain the
momentum of close exchanges with leaders of Latin
American and Caribbean countries to
increase mutual understanding and trust, step up
exchange of experience on governance
and consolidate the political basis for the
growth of relations with Latin American
and Caribbean countries.
(2)
Exchanges Between Legislatures
The
National People's Congress of China wishes to
strengthen friendly exchanges
with
parliaments of Latin American and Caribbean
countries, the Latin American
Parliament, the Mercosur Parliament,
the Andean Parliament, etc. at multiple levels
and through various channels on the
basis of respecting each other, deepening mutual
understanding and promoting cooperation
so as to enrich and invigorate relations with
Latin American and Caribbean countries.
(3) Exchanges Between Political Parties
The Communist Party of China wishes to
carry out friendly exchanges of various
forms with political parties and
organizations of Latin American and Caribbean
countries on the basis of independence,
full equality, mutual respect and
non-
interference in each other's internal affairs to
learn from each other, increase
mutual
understanding and friendship, and strengthen
mutual trust and cooperation.
(4) Consultation Mechanisms
Relevant agencies of the Chinese
Government wish to establish and improve the
mechanisms of standing committee, high-
level committee, high-level mixed
committee, strategic dialogue,
political consultation, mixed committee on economy
and trade, consultation on economy and
trade, high-level working group, business
cooperation forum, cultural and
education mixed committee, and science and
technology committee with their
counterparts in Latin America and the Caribbean to
increase consultation and promote
exchanges and cooperation.
(5)
Cooperation in International Affairs
The Chinese Government will continue to
strengthen coordination and cooperation on
international issues with Latin
American and Caribbean countries, and maintain
regular consultation with them on major
international and regional issues. The two
sides will continue to support each
other on such important issues as sovereignty and
territorial integrity. China stands
ready to work with Latin American and Caribbean
countries to strengthen the role of the
United Nations, make the international political
and economic order more fair and
equitable, promote democracy in international
relations and uphold the legitimate
rights and interests of developing countries.
China
supports a greater role of Latin
American and Caribbean countries in international
affairs.
(6) Local
Government Exchanges
The Chinese side
highly values exchanges at the local government
level with
countries in Latin America
and the Caribbean. It supports the twinning of
provinces/states or cities between
China and Latin American and Caribbean countries,
and exchanges and cooperation in
business, science and technology, culture and
other
fields to increase mutual
understanding and friendship. It attaches great
importance to
cooperation with Latin
American and Caribbean countries in international
local
governments organizations.
2. In the Economic Field
(1) Trade
The Chinese
Government will continue to work with its Latin
American and
Caribbean counterparts in
the spirit of equality and mutual benefit to
expand and
balance two-way trade and
improve the trade structure to achieve common
development. At the same time, it will
work with these countries to properly settle
trade frictions through consultation
and cooperation. China will, on the basis of
mutual benefit and win-win cooperation,
give positive consideration to concluding
free trade agreements with Latin
American and Caribbean countries or regional
integration organizations.
(2) Investment Cooperation
The Chinese Government encourages and
supports qualified Chinese companies with
good reputation in investing in
manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, fishing,
energy,
mineral resources,
infrastructure, and service sector in Latin
America and the
Caribbean to promote
the economic and social development of both sides.
The
Chinese Government will continue to
welcome investment by Latin American and
Caribbean businesses in China.
(3) Financial Cooperation
The Chinese Government supports China's
monetary and financial regulatory
authorities and financial institutions
in stepping up consultation and professional
exchanges and cooperation on
macroeconomic situation and economic and financial
policies with their counterparts in
Latin American and Caribbean countries. It
encourages Chinese commercial banks to
set up branches in Latin America and the
Caribbean. It will push for the
conclusion of banking regulatory cooperation
agreements with Latin American and
Caribbean countries as appropriate, and work
with them to jointly combat money
laundering and terrorist financing.
(4)
Agricultural Cooperation
The Chinese
Government will promote exchanges and cooperation
in agricultural
science and technology
with Latin American and Caribbean countries
through holding
agricultural technique
training programs and dispatching technicians to
the Latin
American and Caribbean
region. An information exchange mechanism will be
established to discuss issues of common
interest. Cooperation in flora and fauna
inspection will be intensified and
agricultural trade will be expanded to jointly
uphold
food security.
(5)
Industrial Cooperation
The Chinese side
wishes to strengthen exchanges with Latin American
and Caribbean
countries in industry. It
is desirable to establish and improve relevant
cooperation
mechanisms, share best
practices in each other's industrialization
process, and
promote and deepen
practical cooperation.
(6)
Infrastructure Construction
The Chinese
side will strengthen practical cooperation with
Latin American and
Caribbean countries
in transport, information and communications,
water conservancy
and hydropower and
other areas of infrastructure development, scale
up project
contracting in the region,
and conduct mutually beneficial cooperation in
various
ways so as to contribute its
share to further infrastructure development in the
region.
(7) Resources and Energy
Cooperation