China and Latin America: Partners in a shared new era

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China and Latin America: Partners in a shared new era

全球化智库CCG

2025-11-06

导读：Wang Huiyao: China and Latin America: Partners in a shared new era

The BYD battery factory in Manaus, capital of Amazonas state, Brazil. March 12, 2024. /Xinhua

By Wang Huiyao | Founder of

the Center for China and Globalization(CCG)

Across the Global South, nations are finding common causes in openness, sustainability and reform, from deepening trade relationships with Brazil and Argentina, to a new and confident phase where the region as a whole is deepening its engagement with China through green industries, digital transformation and South-South connectivity. A prime example of this shift is the eighth China International Import Expo, where Latin American countries have emerged as key participants, highlighting their growing role in this evolving partnership.

Only months ago, foreign ministers and heads of state from across the hemisphere gathered in Beijing for the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum, to mark its 10th anniversary. the presence of leaders, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Chilean President Gabriel Boric, signaled a shared conviction: The China-Latin America relationship has matured from pragmatic cooperation into a long-term partnership.

The meeting produced the Beijing Declaration and China-CELAC Joint Action Plan for Cooperation in Key Areas (2025-2027) encompassing more than 100 cooperation projects in clean energy, digital economy, agriculture, trade, infrastructure and education. It saw the unveiling of a 66 billion yuan ($9.23 billion) credit line for regional development and visa-free travel for citizens of five nations – Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile and Uruguay – which started in June 2025: Initiatives that highlight a multidimensional partnership built on technology, sustainability and people-to-people exchange.

I witnessed this new energy firsthand in Sao Paulo, where I joined Brazil's business community for the Brazil-China Business Council Conference last week. There the conversation revolved around investment in green mobility, digital infrastructure and re-industrialization. From Bahia's BYD electric vehicle (EV) complex, where the first locally assembled Dolphin Mini EV rolled off the line this year, to Iracemapolis's Great Wall Motors hybrid hub, examples of renewal abound.

Just months earlier In May, I sat with the Peruvian Foreign Minister Elmer Schialer Salcedo over lunch as he passionately presented the Chancay Megaport – a gateway to Latin America and a project expected to shave 10 to 12 days off shipment times, positioning Latin America closer to Asia's supply chains. His enthusiasm captured a wider regional mood: a determination to connect, to trade and to modernize on their own terms.

This is all part of a continental pattern of cooperation extending from the lithium triangle of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile to Peru's ports and Mexico's high-tech corridors. Across Latin America, Chinese and local partners are investing in wind and solar energy, smart-farming technology and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven logistics. Huawei, Alibaba Cloud and other digital firms are helping build the region's next-generation connectivity, while financial cooperation, including local-currency settlement and renminbi (RMB) clearing, is strengthening macro-stability.

Taken together, these developments demonstrate how China-Latin American relations are evolving beyond the traditional "trade + infrastructure" paradigm into a comprehensive partnership for sustainable modernization. Both sides understand that in today's volatile world, growth must rest on openness, resilience and shared responsibility.

The latest joint plan's reference to a "partnership of civilizations" captures the deeper purpose: to build connectivity not only of goods and capital but also of ideas, culture and governance. It embodies a spirit and promotes a cooperation that is inclusive rather than exclusive, regional rather than bilateral and strategic rather than transactional.

Through more than 3,500 scholarships, 10,000 training opportunities and 300 political-party exchanges promised under the plan, a new generation of leaders and professionals will gain firsthand understanding on both sides of the Pacific.

People have meals at a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown in Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 10, 2025. /Xinhua

Latin America's growing partnership with China also reflects a maturing confidence within the Global South. China itself has announced that it will no longer seek new special and differential treatment in future WTO negotiations, a decision meant to stand on principle in a way that demonstrates both economic strength and a commitment to fairer global rules while maintaining its developing-country status and solidarity with other emerging economies. And it's a sentiment shared with Latin America, where nations seek a voice commensurate with their potential in shaping international institutions.

By aligning green growth with digital innovation and open markets with social inclusion, our cooperation can become a template for inclusive modernization. At a time when fragmentation and protectionism threaten global progress, the China-Latin America partnership offers a different story: one of connectivity, mutual respect and shared prosperity.

To turn this shared vision into practical outcomes, I believe six areas deserve immediate focus: First, infrastructure and connectivity: By continuing to expand collaboration through ports or the flagship modern rail corridor linking Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro as well as more highways and power grids, Latin American economies will not only benefit but shorten supply chains to Asia.

In addition, financial innovation: By broadening the use of local-currency settlements, transaction costs and dependency on any single currency can be reduced. RMB-clearing banks in Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Santiago should strengthen financial stability.

Moreover, the green transition: Joint ventures in renewable energy, electric mobility and green hydrogen are already on the rise. With deeper integration, Latin America would become a world leader in sustainable industrialization.

Furthermore, digital economy and AI: Partnerships in 5G, cloud computing and robotics – from agritech to fintech – can ensure the benefits of innovation reach all sectors.

Finally, think-tank and academic dialogue: Institutions such as the Center for China and Globalization, Brazilian Center for International Relations and the Brazil-China Business Council can build a permanent China-Latin America forum on sustainable development, producing policy ideas grounded in research and mutual understanding.

Fifty years ago, the relationship between China and Latin America began with simple trade – soybeans, copper and friendship delegations. Today, it encompasses electric vehicles, AI research and joint development finance. As Argentine President Javier Milei's visit approaches and the new China-CELAC projects begin to take shape, both sides can look ahead to an era defined not by distance or ideology but by a shared commitment to innovation, sustainability and mutual benefit.

The Pacific, once a divide, is becoming a bridge. If we can build upon the momentum of Brazil's green industry, Argentina's agricultural innovation, Peru's new connectivity and Chile's energy transition, then the partnership between China and Latin America will stand as a model for the world – a partnership not of convenience, but of conviction.

From CGTN， 2025-11-5

CCG Books

● Published by Springer

● Editors: Henry Huiyao Wang, Mabel Lu Miao

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