On the morning of August 15, the opening ceremony of the Seminar on Addressing Trade Barriers for Latin American Countries, sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce and organized by the MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai) at Shanghai Business School, was successfully held. The event featured speeches by Ms. Dai Ying, Deputy Director of the MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai), and Mr. Fang Meng, Head of the Department of Foreign Economic Cooperation at the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposal to build a China-Latin America community with a shared future. Over the past decade, joint efforts have brought this vision to life, leading to significant achievements and ushering China-Latin America relations into a new era characterized by equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness, and shared prosperity. President Xi has made five visits to Latin America and the Caribbean, hosted multiple foreign leaders in China, and participated in numerous bilateral and multilateral meetings to build strategic consensus. The upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit, APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, and BRICS Summit, all set to be held in Latin America this year and next, signal the emergence of the “Latin American Moment” in global governance, offering significant opportunities for the development of China-Latin America relations.
Mr. Fang Meng emphasized that trade and investment are critical drivers of a nation’s economic development. However, despite the current wave of economic globalization and integration, various barriers still hinder the transnational movement of goods and production. In the face of economic isolation practices by some Western countries, China remains steadfast in its commitment to openness, inclusiveness, and cooperation. China is eager to strengthen solidarity and collaboration with Latin American countries to jointly implement the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, ensuring the steady and long-term progress of the China-Latin America community with a shared future.
Ms. Dai Ying highlighted that as the world’s second-largest economy, China possesses a vast market and strong manufacturing capabilities, while Latin America is rich in natural resources and holds immense market potential. China and Latin America share common development aspirations and have numerous opportunities for cooperation across various fields. This seminar, guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, aims to familiarize participants with China's strategies and experiences in addressing trade barriers, deepen trade exchanges and cooperation among nations, and open new windows of opportunity for complementary advantages and open development, ultimately enhancing the well-being of people in all nations.
On behalf of all participants, Ms. Acosta Valero Roxaren Mirlay, Director of the Department of Raw Materials at the Ministry of Internal Trade of Venezuela, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Training Base for its comprehensive course arrangements. She noted that as the world’s largest developing country, China has accumulated valuable experience in dealing with trade barriers. This seminar will enable Latin American countries to draw from China's experiences, explore new ideas and methods for addressing trade barriers, and further promote trade facilitation among nations.
The seminar, which spans 14 days, includes 27 participants from 10 countries, including Ecuador, Chile, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Uruguay, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Colombia, and Panama. As part of the program, participants will also visit Changchun City in Jilin Province.
Written by: Zhao Zixuan
Photos by: Li Zheng
Reviewed by: Chen Wei
