Participation of the Andean Community in the Latin America and Caribbean Development Forum with China

Photo: Comunidad Andina.

According to an article by the Bolivian Information Agency, within the framework of the “2nd Forum on Development of Latin America and the Caribbean with China: Mutual Learning in Modernization and High-Level Cooperation,” the Andean Community delivered a presentation outlining the development of its bilateral relationship with the People’s Republic of China.

The forum was jointly organized by the General Secretariat of the Andean Community, the Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA).

During the opening of the forum, the Secretary General of the Andean Community, Ambassador Gonzalo Gutiérrez, highlighted the importance of promoting dialogue between the Andean Community, Latin America, and the People’s Republic of China, with the aim of updating a shared vision among all parties to advance initiatives in key areas such as infrastructure, sustainable development, trade, and investment, through more strategic cooperation.

He also emphasized that the bilateral and multilateral relationship between China and the Andean Community — made up of Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia — has significantly developed in recent years, creating new opportunities to continue deepening a model based on complementarity, innovation, knowledge exchange, and mutual learning.

Similarly, he noted that although the main exports from the CAN countries to the People’s Republic of China consist mostly of traditional products and raw materials, some of these are agricultural goods with added value, such as avocado, grapes, and blueberries.

He also stated that the Chancay megaport in Peru is of great importance to the Andean economies and their trade relations in both exports and imports, due to its role as a logistical hub on the Pacific.

Regarding foreign trade, it is known that during the previous year, 2024, the People’s Republic of China was the main extra-regional trade partner of the Andean Community, accounting for approximately 20% of total exports from CAN countries. Therefore, in the international context, the Chinese market is a favorable space for incorporating the wide range of products and services that the countries of the community can export.

It is worth noting that in that same year, around 83% of total exports among the Andean Community countries were manufactured goods, contributing to the development of this subregion as a key space for the industrial strengthening of the economies of Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia.

It was reported that, due to the high rate of manufactured goods exports, cooperation with the People’s Republic of China in key sectors such as technology transfer, technical education, biotechnology, creative industries, and renewable energy can be further developed.

On another note, the Secretary General of the Andean Community proposed the idea that the People’s Republic of China apply to become one of the observer countries of the Andean Community.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System, Clarems Endara, stated that the forum — in which the aforementioned dialogues and presentations took place — aims to develop relations with the People’s Republic of China.

Specifically, Secretary Endara expressed, “In the face of this new global economic order, the response from Latin America and the Caribbean and China must be more cooperation, more integration, and more innovation, especially to develop agricultural technologies, promote rural innovation, and add value at the source.”

For his part, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Peru, Song Yang, stated that the Asian nation is open to continuing bilateral cooperation with these countries in critical sectors of the economy such as energy, infrastructure, 5G communications, artificial intelligence, agriculture, the digital economy, and to promoting integration of current supply and industrial chains.

Likewise, the Vice President of CASS, Zhao Rui, highlighted the relevance of bilateral cooperation with China, which will contribute to global stability and to the modernization of various areas both for China and for the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Last but not least, during the forum’s opening, the Director General for Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru, Ambassador Jorge Félix Rubio, also attended. He stated that jointly developing strategies to address common challenges between China and Latin America, as well as the exchange of experiences and knowledge, is of great significance.

* Original text in Spanish. Translated by Large Language Model (LLM) technology.

Main Source:

Relación entre la CAN y China evoluciona para impulsar el desarrollo basado en el aprendizaje mutuo e innovación – Agencia Boliviana de Información

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