On February 25, 2021, Director-General of the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Cai Wei attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the Second China-LAC Agricultural Ministers' Forum via video link upon invitation. Agricultural ministers or their representatives from China and 27 Latin American and Caribbean states which have established diplomatic ties with China (including 19 ministers and 9 vice ministers), Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Qu Dongyu and responsible officials of relevant international organizations attended the event.
Chinese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian, Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development of Mexico which holds the pro tempore presidency of CELAC Victor Villalobos, Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Qu Dongyu, and Executive Secretary of UN ECLAC Alicia Barcena delivered speeches at the opening ceremony. They stressed that against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, this forum is of great importance to China-CELAC cooperation in tackling food crisis, addressing unequal development, upholding multilateralism, and sustaining the achievements of poverty alleviation in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Agricultural cooperation between China and CELAC are fruitful, resilient and of huge potential. Both sides need to further enhance integrated bilateral cooperation and cooperation in relevant fields under the FAO framework. Participants also exchanged views on deepening integrated bilateral cooperation and consolidating China-CELAC relationship, and approved the Declaration of the Second China-LAC Agricultural Ministers' Forum.
Cai Wei, on behalf of the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, congratulated on the convening of this forum in his speech. He stressed that China and CELAC countries are developing countries and emerging economies, and China attaches great importance to developing the relationship with CELAC countries. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties over 60 years ago, the relations between China and CELAC countries have witnessed leap-forward development. The bilateral cooperation in battling against the pandemic has vividly demonstrated the deep friendship of "a bosom friend afar brings distance near" and "a friend in need is a friend in deed". China is ready to improve and upgrade practical cooperation in agricultural and other fields with CELAC countries, undertake high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and facilitate the economic recovery and improvement of people's livelihood in the Latin American and Caribbean region and push China-CELAC relations and integrated bilateral cooperation to a higher level.
