On November 7, 2016, State Councilor Yang Jiechi attended the opening ceremony of the 3rd China-Latin America and the Caribbean Think Tanks Forum and delivered a speech.
Yang Jiechi pointed out that China-Latin America relations have entered a track of comprehensive and rapid development. Both sides share sincerity and mutual trust in politics, win-win cooperation in economy and trade, mutual learning in people-to-people and cultural engagement, and close coordination in international affairs. Overall cooperation and bilateral cooperation between both sides have reinforced each other as well. China always views its relations with Latin American and the Caribbean countries from a strategic and long-term perspective, and is willing to actively build a Five-in-One new pattern of China-Latin America relations and push China-Latin America comprehensive cooperative partnership for new development. As one of the sub-forums under China-CELAC Forum, China-Latin America and the Caribbean Think Tanks Forum has offered important intellectual support to bilateral cooperation in various fields. It is hoped that experts and scholars of the two sides will pool their wisdom together and make greater contributions to the development of China-Latin America relations.
Prior to the opening ceremony, Yang Jiechi met with former President Eduardo Frei of Chile, former Prime Minister Bruce Golding of Jamaica, former Foreign Minister Francisco Carrion Mena of Ecuador and other former political heavyweights from Latin American and the Caribbean countries, who came to China for the forum.
Under the theme of "New Moment for China-Latin America Cooperation----Forge ahead and Jointly Build the Future", the forum is jointly hosted by the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs and the China Foundation for International Studies. About 200 people, including experts and scholars from major Chinese and Latin American think tanks, representatives of Latin American organizations, diplomatic envoys to China, representatives from relevant domestic ministries and enterprises and Chinese and foreign media, attended the forum.
