From May 26 to 27, 2018, Director-General of the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Zhao Bentang attended at invitation the second China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Political Parties Forum held in Shenzhen and made a speech at the panel discussion, introducing China's policies towards Latin America, the development status quo of China-Latin America relations, and the situation of bilateral cooperation under the framework of the "Belt and Road" initiative. China-CELAC Political Parties Forum, sponsored by the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is an important sub-forum under the framework of the China-CELAC Forum. The theme of this forum is "Reform, Innovation, and Party-building". Over 80 representatives of political parties from 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries attended the forum and participated in the discussions. The forum adopted the Statement of the Second China-CELAC Political Parties Forum.