In his closing remarks at the III Development Forum of Latin America and the Caribbean with China: economic and trade connectivity for enhanced cooperation and shared social prosperity, the Permanent Secretary of SELA, Ambassador Lesly David, stated that China is a strategic ally for the productive transformation of the region.

“This Forum leaves us with a common message: it is no longer enough to grow in terms of trade volumes; we must move towards a relationship that generates greater value for our countries. For Latin America and the Caribbean, this means specialising, strengthening capabilities and developing the talent we need to transform our strengths and resources into opportunities for development. The challenge now is to move from opportunities to concrete actions with a tangible impact on our countries,” Ambassador Lesly David said.

He added that cooperation, nowadays, is not merely an option: it is a necessity. “At SELA, we reaffirm our commitment to further coordinating efforts among Latin America and the Caribbean, China, regional organisations, academia and the business sector, in order to translate this dialogue into concrete results. May this III Forum not merely be a forum for reflection, but a starting point for a new phase of specialisation, capacity-building, innovation and joint action,” he emphasised.

For her part, CHAI Yu, Director-General of the Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), outlined the conclusions reached by the experts, business leaders, academics and officials who took part in the Forum regarding strategic areas such as digital empowerment; agri-food trade; cooperation and renewable energy; trade logistics and job creation; and cultural exchange, among others. She also reaffirmed her commitment to promoting high-quality cooperation between China and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The III Development Forum of Latin America and the Caribbean with China was organised by #SELA, in partnership with the Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), in the city of Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China 🇨🇳, where officials, experts and researchers took part with the aim of establishing a high-level strategic dialogue forum to pool joint efforts that contribute to sustainable development and the mutual benefit of both regions.

SELA reaffirms its institutional commitment to steering bi-regional dialogue towards the identification of specific mechanisms to channelling international cooperation and investment towards high value-added sectors that contribute to the sustainable development of Latin America and the Caribbean.