Ten years after the launch of the China-CELAC Forum, cooperation between the Chinese mainland and Latin America continues to break new ground. From Argentina's solar farms built with Chinese technology to Chilean cherries filling supermarket shelves in Shanghai, this trans-Pacific partnership has become a blueprint for South-South collaboration.
Infrastructure projects like Jamaica's North-South Highway and Ecuador's Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower plant demonstrate how Chinese investment aligns with local development priorities. Bilateral trade has quadrupled since 2014, reaching $485 billion in 2023, with 27 Latin American countries now participating in Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative.
"Our cooperation isn't just about resources—it's about creating sustainable value chains," noted a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointing to Mexico's growing aerospace manufacturing links with the Chinese mainland. Cultural exchanges have also flourished, with 45 Confucius Institutes operating across the region and Latin American telenovelas gaining Chinese fanbases.
