BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Wednesday was a busy day for top Chinese leaders and their Latin American counterparts. President Xi Jinping met with Ecuador President Rafael Correa and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, he also met with Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie.
The foreign leaders are in China to attend the upcoming first ministerial meeting of the forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC. Our reporter Su Yuting has more.
Strengthening ties between China and Latin American countries. In the first of many meetings, President Xi Jinping met his Ecuadorian counterpart Rafael Correa at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday morning.
Taking the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties as an opportunity, both sides showed their willingness to make concrete efforts to further developing strategic partnership.
"China-Ecuador ties are developing to reach a historical new high and make new breakthrough. I met President Correa last July in Brasilia and I am delighted to see enterprises, financial institutions and other relevant parties have implemented the consensus reached by us," says Xi.
Ecuadorian President Correa also spoke highly of the new progress in bilateral ties, adding that his country is ready to enhance cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, energy and telecommunication.
Later in the afternoon, Xi Jinping met his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela is suffering due to the sharp downturn in global crude oil prices. Maduro has already announced his tour to China as a very important visit to seek support and new cash injection to shore up Venezuela's economy.
China is Venezuela's largest investor and second largest oil customer. Xi Jinping said China understands the recent oil price slide. China and Venezuela are important partners for economic and trade cooperation. China will continue its financial support for Venezuela and initiate numerous plan to strengthen cooperation in energy, technology and education.
Also on Wednesday, Xi Jinping met with Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie. Xi Jinping said the signing of a mutual visa exemption agreement has boosted people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. The two leaders also discussed bilateral relations on technical cooperation, maritime issue and air services agreement.
The Bahamas is developing as a hub for Asian airlift, particularly in the Caribbean region. China is willing to conclude some type of air agreement before the opening of Baha Mar, set for March 2015. The 3.5 billion US dollars Baha Mar project is largely being financed by the Export-Import Bank of China and is being built by a Chinese state-owned company.
In a historical diplomatic move where top Chinese leaders meet with their visiting counterparts from three different Latin American countries in just one single day, it's a clear sign that China and Latin America are attaching great importance to fostering closer ties. It's a common aspiration shared by China and all CELAC members for strengthened cooperation in making their first ministerial meeting a big success.
(Source: CNTV.com)
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