On February 5, 2005, Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong wrapped up his visit to the five Latin American and Caribbean countries, and after attending the opening ceremony of the first Ministerial Meeting of the China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum left for China. Accompanying vice Foreign Minster Zhou Wenzhong received the interview of correspondents on the way back to China.

Zhou said that the visit has two clear features. First, the schedule highlights combination of bilateral and multilateral arrangements. In addition to bilateral visits to the five countries, Vice President Zeng also attended the high-level meeting between China and the Andean Community and the opening ceremony of the first Ministerial Meeting of the China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum. Second, foreign and internal affairs are interwoven. Despite busy foreign affairs schedule, Vice President Zeng visited all Chinese embassies to the destination countries and held seminars participated in by a number of ambassadors to Latin America and Caribbean separately. The visit schedule is fairly busy with multiple activities and fruitful results have been achieved.

The visit is a follow-up and implementation gesture to the state visit of President Hu Jintao to Latin America in November last year. It is of great significance to furthering China's friendship and cooperation with the developing countries in Latin America and Caribbean under new circumstances. Vice President Zeng has stressed repeatedly both before and during the visit that the purpose of his visit is to "strengthen friendship and cooperation and learn from each other" which he followed throughout the visit. The expected objectives of enhancing friendship, strengthening mutual trust, deepening cooperation and seeking common development have been achieved.

Reinforcing friendship, strengthening political mutual trust and deepening friendly relations

Vice President Zeng said to the leaders of the five countries from the historical and strategic perspectives that China and the five countries have the same historical experiences and today are working hard to promote development, according to Zhou. Faced with complicated and fluctuating international situation and the opportunities and challenges brought about by accelerating economic globalization, both sides have greater strategic demand for cooperation and it has become increasingly realistic for them to do so. With promising cooperation prospect, both sides should seize the opportunity to promote friendly cooperative relations to new levels and work for a mutual beneficial and win-win result and common development. Zhou pointed out that the leaders of all five countries expressed agreement on Zeng's analysis and opinions and generally held that to reinforce China-Latin America and China-Caribbean cooperation is of great importance to building a new international political and economic order and promoting multilateralism. China's development means opportunities, instead of threats, to the Latin American and Caribbean countries. They noted that China's relations with their countries are established on the basis of equality and mutual respect. China never imposes its own will upon others, nor does it put up difficulties to others. Its support for other countries is always sincere, without any political conditions attached.

The visit helps promote China's relations with the five countries in an all-round manner, said Zhou. China reached common consensus with Mexico on enriching and deepening strategic partnership, declared jointly with Peru the establishment of all-round partnership, reached common consensus with Venezuela on enriching the strategic partnership of common development, agreed with Trinidad and Tobago on building the friendly cooperative relations of mutual benefit and common development and confirmed the establishment of friendly partnership of common development, which lays down a solid foundation for China to develop long-term stable friendly cooperation with the five countries in an all-round way. Zhou pointed out that the visit also stimulated China's multilateral cooperation with Latin America and Caribbean. The meeting between Vice President Zeng and the Foreign Minister of the Andean Community raised the level of bilateral dialogue, and China's initiative of establishing the China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum marks a milestone in the history of China-Caribbean relations. All those innovative measures are beneficial to institutionalizing the multilateral cooperation between China and the Latin American and Caribbean countries. The leaders of the five countries and the leaders present at the two regional meetings of the Andean Community and Caribbean reiterated that they will continue to follow the one-China policy and extend understanding and support to the principles and policies of the Chinese government on the Taiwan issue, said Zhou.

Strengthening exchanges in all fields and enhancing mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation

Zhou said that Latin America and Caribbean boasts vast territory, beautiful scenery, glorious culture, long history and friendly people. The cooperation between China and Latin America and Caribbean in the political, economic, cultural, educational and other fields enjoys great potential and bright prospects. During the visit of Vice President Zeng, both sides signed about 90 agreements between governments and businesses, covering multiple fields like economy and trade, finance, energy resources, mining, transportation, telecommunications, judicial assistance, agricultural, plant quarantine, culture, health and tourisms. The Chinese entrepreneurs accompanying Vice President Zeng also held dialogues with their foreign counterparts and reached a number of cooperation intents.

Zhou added that during the visit Vice President Zeng reiterated or declared the position of Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and another 10 Caribbean countries establishing diplomatic ties with China as the destination of Chinese tourists and Peru, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica reaffirmed or formally declared their recognition of China's market economy status. Jamaica even stressed that both sides would not adopt trade discrimination policies toward each other. China and Caribbean signed the Action Program of Economic and Trade Cooperation within the framework of the China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum, making the plan for strengthening bilateral cooperation in such areas as economy and trade, investment, agriculture and fishery, tourism, finance, infrastructure construction, natural and human resources development, which will greatly promote the equal and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Caribbean and Latin America in the fields of trade and investment and help explore cooperation area. The peoples of China, Latin America and Caribbean will benefit more from the mutually beneficial cooperation.

Learning from each other and building a better world

Zhou indicated that both China and the five countries are actively exploring the development road suited for their own national conditions in order to raise their people's living standards. During the visit, Vice President Zeng made in-depth discussion on the experiences of running the country and handling politics with the leaders of other countries and contacted widely representatives of local business communities. Zeng pointed out that Latin American and Caribbean countries have unique civilization and many successful experience at promoting national development and social progresses which are of great reference significance to China. He also introduced on many occasions China's achievements in the economic and social fields over the past 26 years since reform and opening up and elaborated China's grand objective of building a well-off society in an all-round way and scientific concept of development.

He said that the leaders of the five countries and the leaders of Caribbean countries present at the China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum expressed admiration for the earthshaking achievements of China's reform and opening up and China's successful experience at adhering to its own road. They also indicated willingness to share China's experiences based on their own realities and unanimously agreed that cooperation established on the basis of mutual trust, equality and mutual benefit and common development is beneficial to the long-term stability and healthy development of relations among countries. China and Latin America and Caribbean have the demand for exchanges of technology, investment, resources and commodities and can complement each other so as to realize strike a mutually beneficial and win-win result.

Vice President Zeng showed great care to the Chinese diplomats based overseas, said Zhou Wenzhong. He visited the Chinese embassies to the five countries, talked with those diplomats about their work, life and safety conditions and conveyed to them the kind care and warm greetings of the Central Party Committee and the State Council. He also held informal discussions with part of Chinese diplomats in Latin America and Caribbean in Peru and Jamaica separately, listen to their work reports and encouraged them to attentively conduct the educational campaign to maintain the progressiveness of members of the Communist Party of China and promote the ideological and political development, leadership and capacity building of the embassies. He also required related agencies to make their best efforts to address the difficulties faced by overseas Chinese embassies.

Lastly, Zhou pointed out that the Latin American and Caribbean countries are important members of the developing world and major basis of China's diplomatic work. Both sides advocate multilateralism, keep committed to promoting the democratization of international relations and are working hard to create sound international environment for their own development. To consolidate and strengthen relations with Latin American and Caribbean countries are of great importance and impact. During the visit, Vice President Zeng to Latin America and Caribbean conducted cordial, friendly, frank and in-depth talks and reached wide consensus with leaders of countries concerned, which will surely exert a major influence on promoting China-Latin America and China-Caribbean cooperation.