From September 14 to 18, 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arranged trips for a delegation of diplomatic envoys from Latin American and Caribbean countries for exchanges and research in Shanghai Municipality and Jiangsu Province. The delegation consisted of 27 diplomatic envoys from 18 countries, including Uruguay, Jamaica, Ecuador, Barbados, Peru, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Chile, Suriname, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Argentina, Venezuela, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic and Panama. Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang attended some of the activities.

Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Li Qiang and Governor of Shanghai Gong Zheng met with and gave a banquet to the delegation in Shanghai respectively. The delegation visited the site of the First CPC National Congress, the passenger car production line of SAIC Motor, Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co., LTD. and Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited, and the production line of aircraft C-919 of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. The delegation also attended the symposium on economic and trade cooperation between Shanghai and Latin American and Caribbean countries. During the meeting, Secretary Li Qiang gave a detailed account of the epidemic prevention and control and the economic and social development in Shanghai. He pointed out, China has a long history of friendship with Latin American and Caribbean countries. As Shanghai has close exchanges with countries in the region, he looks forward to further promoting exchanges and practical cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, industry, science and technology, education and culture, so as to make positive contributions to the development of friendly relations between China and Latin America. More enterprises of Latin American and Caribbean countries are welcome to participate in the upcoming 3rd China International Import Expo in Shanghai to share opportunities of business cooperation and to achieve win-win development.

In Jiangsu, Secretary of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee Lou Qinjian and Governor of Jiangsu Province Wu Zhenglong met with and gave a banquet to the delegation. The delegation visited Suning Holdings Group in Nanjing, Huawei’s Research & Development Center in Nanjing, relevant enterprises in Binjiang and Lishui Economic Development Zones, and the new rural construction and relevant enterprises in Shanjuan village, Zhangzhu Town, Yixing City. The delegation also attended a symposium on cooperation between Jiangsu Province and Latin American and the Caribbean countries. During the meeting, Secretary Lou Qinjian introduced Jiangsu’s coordinated efforts in epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development. He noted, the Belt and Road Initiative has received extensive and positive responses from Latin American and Caribbean countries. Situated on the crossroads of the Belt and Road, Jiangsu has maintained frequent and close contacts with many Latin American countries in recent years, and has achieved fruitful results in cooperation in economy, trade, health, culture and sports. Jiangsu is willing to continue to deepen cooperation in various fields with Latin American countries under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative, so as to better benefit the people of all countries and elevate bilateral relations to a new level.

Diplomatic envoys from Latin American and the Caribbean countries praised the remarkable achievements made in epidemic prevention and control in Shanghai Municipality and Jiangsu Province, and they were deeply impressed by the rapid recovery of economic development and social order in the two places. They expressed their willingness to further strengthen practical cooperation with Shanghai Municipality and Jiangsu Province in various fields, so as to promote greater development of the relations between China and Latin America.