On July 3, 2007, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei met with a joint press delegation from Costa Rica, Dominica, Nicaragua, Panama and Paraguay.

He made positive comments on fruitful cooperation between China and Latin America in all areas, saying that despite the distance keeping the two sides apart, their friendly exchanges go back to ancient times and the two sides share similar experiences in striving for national liberation, independence and development. Recent years have witnessed frequent high-level exchanges, deepening mutual trust and rapid development of trade relations with trade volume exceeding 70 billion US dollars in 2006 and China becoming the third trade partner of Latin America, he said. Both sides have also maintained close cooperation in international affairs with stronger ties between China and Latin American regional organizations. He emphasized that to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with a large majority of developing nations including Latin American ones remains the basis for China's independent foreign policy of peace. The assistant foreign minister pledged that China is ready to work with all Latin American countries to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.

He said the Taiwan question concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and is related to China's core interest. Currently 169 countries in the world maintain diplomatic ties with China, among which 21 are in Latin America. The only obstacle to developing relations with those Latin American countries that are yet to forge diplomatic ties with China is the Taiwan question. He said Chinese people always hold friendly feelings towards these countries and their peoples and China is ready to establish and develop normal state-to-state relations with them based on the UN Charter and the five principles of peaceful coexistence.

He also pointed out the core of China's foreign policy is peace, cooperation and development. He urged the international community to strive to achieve peace and common development through cooperation, expressing China's willingness to develop friendly, cooperative relations and exchange experience on development with all countries to realize mutual benefits and a win-win situation.

With regard to media exchanges, He said such exchanges are an important part of China-Latin America friendly cooperation, expressing hope that journalists will offer objective and accurate coverage about their current visit to their people and play a positive role in building mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese and Latin American people and in pushing for comprehensive development of bilateral relations. The journalists said their current visit offers them a good opportunity to personally experience and learn more about China's economic and social development. They said they cherished such an opportunity and stood ready to make unremitting efforts to further build mutual understanding between Chinese and Latin American peoples.

In Beijing, the delegation also had interviews with officials from Ministry of Commerce, the Organizing Committee for the Beijing Olympic Games (BOCOG) and other departments. They will also visit Xiamen and Shanghai.