Beijing, January 9 (RHC-Xinhua) -- China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will put into writing a five-year cooperation plan, Chinese President Xi Jinping said.
The plan -- together with the Beijing Declaration, and the Regulations on China-CELAC forum -- will be the major outcome of the first China-CELAC forum ministerial meeting, Xi said in his opening remarks of the first CELAC meeting here Thursday.
The plan (2015-2019) will have specific measures for overall cooperation between China and Latin America, covering politics, security, trade, investment, finance, infrastructure, energy, resources, industry, agriculture, science and people-to-people exchange.
In the coming decade, China aims at 500 billion U.S dollars of bilateral trade with Latin American and the Caribbean and 250 billion U.S. dollars of direct investment into the region.
The Beijing Declaration will summarize political consensus, set the direction for the forum and define cooperation guidelines.
The regulations will set the rules of the forum, define three regular dialogues between China and CELAC, and provide a system to guarantee the implementation of political consensus and plans.
Both China and CELAC should expedite the construction of the forum and map out a collaborative blueprint to achieve win-win results, Xi said.
During the two-day meeting that ended Friday, ministers and representatives from China and CELAC defined 13 key areas for cooperation over the next five years, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Wang called on both sides to decide quickly on specific projects in key areas to reap early harvests from the forum, proposing that China and CELAC share experience and build a cooperation model in line with the characteristics and needs of both sides, a new model of South-South cooperation.
Other foreign attendees include Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis, Ecuador President Rafael Correa Delgado, Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie, Venezuela President Nicholas Maduro and ministerial representatives from CELAC member countries and members of international organizations.
