Special Report | Xi Jinping's Latin American Connection

"Friendship knows no distance; even a thousand miles can make neighbors." Chinese President Xi Jinping quoted this famous line from a Tang poem to describe the relationship between China and Latin American and Caribbean countries. Since becoming Chinese President, he has visited several countries in the Latin American region. During his visits, he held talks with leaders of these countries, witnessed the signing of cooperation documents, visited local farms, tasted Costa Rican coffee, received an Argentina national team jersey with his name on it, leaving behind many diplomatic tales.

"China and Latin America are geographically distant, but the peoples of both sides have a natural affinity." President Xi Jinping described the friendly relations between the Chinese and Latin American peoples in this way. On a certain day, he once again embarked on a journey, crossing the vast ocean, to this colorful and hopeful land. This state visit to Peru and Brazil will inject new momentum into promoting exchanges and cooperation between China and Latin America, and jointly building a community with a shared future for China and Latin America.

This is a drone photo taken on the date in the Miraflores district of the new city of Lima, the capital of Peru. Photo by Li Muzi, Xinhua News Agency.

"From Qiankai to Shanghai"

President Xi Jinping refers to Peru as China's "neighbor" across the Pacific. The Qianzai Port, a Sino-Peruvian cooperative construction project set to commence operations this month, will bring these "neighbors" separated by vast oceans even closer. Located in the Qianzai Bay, approximately kilometers north of the Peruvian capital Lima, Qianzai Port is a natural deep-water harbor. Upon completion, it will become Peru's primary gateway port and a significant hub for South Pacific transportation, capable of handling and transshipping goods from countries such as Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, and Paraguay. With this port, the shipping time from South America to Asia will be reduced from days to days. The names of the two port cities, Qianzai and Shanghai, sound similar in Spanish, and more and more Peruvians are looking forward to Qianzai developing into Peru's "Shanghai."

This is a drone photo of the terminal operation area taken at the Chancay Port in Peru on [Date]. Photo by Li Muzi, Xinhua News Agency.

The Qiankai Port will not only further promote economic and trade exchanges between the two countries but also strengthen connectivity among Latin American countries and between Latin America and other regions. Over the past decade, China and Latin America have become important partners in jointly building the Belt and Road cooperation. To date, China has signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with various Latin American and Caribbean countries. Projects such as the reconstruction of Argentina's Belgrano Freight Railway, the first metro line project in Bogotá, Colombia, and the North-South Highway project in Jamaica... one cooperation project after another has taken root, benefiting the local areas and both parties.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Latin America have strong economic complementarities and their development strategies are mutually aligned, creating natural advantages for strengthening cooperation. Since then, China has been Latin America's second largest trading partner and a major source of investment. In , the trade volume between China and Latin America exceeded $ billion. A recent report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean titled "International Trade Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean" shows that international trade in the region is gradually recovering this year, and among its main trading partners, China will be the fastest-growing market for its exports.

"The Chancay Port will help Peru improve its maritime efficiency and deepen trade cooperation with the Asian region," said David Gamero, Deputy Manager of the Engineering Department of the Chancay Port project.

"Friendship is like wine, the older the better."

"Friendship is like wine, the older the better." In his speech at the Brazilian Congress, President Xi Jinping quoted this Brazilian proverb to describe the traditional friendship between China and Latin America. This was Xi's first visit to Brazil after assuming the presidency of China. In his speech, President Xi Jinping recounted the friendly history of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, mentioning Brazilian author Paulo Coelho and the Brazilian TV drama "The Slave" that became popular in China in the 1980s.

In the year, I had the privilege of attending President Xi Jinping's speech at the National Congress. He not only discussed bilateral relations and trade cooperation but also spoke extensively about Brazilian culture: such as the architecture of Brasília, the famous quotes of former President Kubitschek, Brazilian soap operas, and a Brazilian journalist. Looking back on that speech from years ago, Fausto Pinato, President of the Brazil-China Parliamentary Front in the Brazilian Congress, vividly remembers, "His understanding of Brazil made us feel proud."

Cultural and people-to-people exchanges are a significant pillar of friendship between China and Latin America. President Xi Jinping has emphasized that the friendship between nations lies in the closeness of their people, and he himself has been a promoter of people-to-people friendship between China and Latin America. As early as a certain year, when Xi Jinping was the Deputy Secretary of the Fujian Provincial Committee and the Secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Committee, he made his first visit to Brazil, during which he represented Fujian Province in signing a memorandum of understanding on establishing a sister-province relationship with Ceará in Fortaleza.

On [date], in Recife, Brazil, people displayed their handmade dragon heads during a Chinese New Year celebration. Photo by Wang Tiancong, Xinhua News Agency.

Many Chinese cities have established sister city relationships with cities in Latin American and Caribbean countries, reflecting the increasingly close cultural exchanges and regional cooperation between China and Latin America. In recent years, the platforms for cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Latin America have been continuously expanding. From the "China-Latin America Cultural Exchange Year," the "China-Latin America Dialogue on Civilization Forum," to the "Bridge to the Future" training program for young leaders from China and Latin America... a series of activities have been rich and varied, continuously bringing the peoples of China and Latin America closer together.

"The rich and colorful cultural arts of China and Latin America are like brilliantly colored flowers blooming on the vast lands of both sides, propelling the mutual learning between Chinese and Latin American civilizations to new heights," said President Xi Jinping at the closing ceremony of the China-Latin America Cultural Exchange Year in Lima.

"Dare to Dream, Achieve Dreams Together"

In 2014, when President Xi Jinping attended the China-Latin America and the Caribbean Leaders' Meeting in Brasilia, he first proposed the concept of building a community with a shared future for China and Latin America. Both China and the Latin American countries are developing nations, all at critical stages of development and rejuvenation, and share similar development tasks. On the journey towards modernization, China and Latin America have always been partners walking hand in hand.

During his visit to China last month, Brazilian President Lula witnessed the signing of a series of bilateral cooperation agreements with President Xi Jinping. These collaborations span emerging fields such as poverty reduction, information and communication technology, and the digital economy. This not only indicates that the two countries will continue to create new growth points, jointly promote high-quality cooperation, and further benefit their peoples, but also reflects the new trend of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Latin America.

China-Latin America cooperation in the new energy sector serves as an example. Latin America boasts abundant solar energy resources and is one of the most promising emerging photovoltaic markets globally. According to data from authoritative global photovoltaic industry analysis institutions, the annual photovoltaic installation demand in Latin America is approximately . to . gigawatts, with Brazil, Chile, and Mexico leading in photovoltaic installation demand. At the same time, China has become a global leader in the photovoltaic industry. Chinese enterprises are actively participating in the construction of photovoltaic power stations in Latin American countries, contributing to energy transition.

In Brazil, the Marangatu Photovoltaic Power Station, invested in and primarily constructed by the Brazil branch of the State Power Investment Corporation of China, held its commissioning ceremony this year. The power station can supply electricity to nearly 100,000 households annually. Recently, former Brazilian President and President of the New Development Bank, Dilma Rousseff, told Xinhua News Agency that at present, many Chinese enterprises are investing and operating in Brazil, which is crucial for Brazil's "reindustrialization."

This is a drone photo of the Marangatu Photovoltaic Power Station taken in Piauí, Brazil, on [insert date here]. Photo by Wang Tiancong, Xinhua News Agency.

On the eve of the National Day of the People's Republic of China, President Xi Jinping awarded Dilma Rousseff the "Medal of Friendship" in Beijing, in recognition of her contributions to the friendship between China and Brazil. The "Medal of Friendship" is the highest national honor for foreign individuals in China. Rousseff praised China's "unparalleled development achievements" over the past decades. "China's development has always been centered on the people and aimed at common prosperity, continuously improving the quality of life for its people. I deeply resonate with such a concept and vision," she said.

Currently, the Chinese people are striving to realize the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Unity and cooperation, development and revitalization are the dreams passed down from generation to generation among the people of Latin America. "The Chinese Dream and the Latin American Dream are closely interconnected. China and Latin America should dare to pursue their dreams and work together to achieve them," said President Xi Jinping.