China's Wang Yi hosts Latin American, Sudanese counterparts in Beijing

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday hosted his counterparts from a group of Latin American countries and Sudan who were in Beijing for a forum between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) this week.

In a series of bilateral meetings held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in the afternoon, Wang met respectively with Honduras’ Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina García; Bolivian Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa Lunda; Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente and Sudanese Foreign Minister Omer Siddiq.

Wang described the just-concluded ministerial meeting of the forum as a “success,” noting that all participants reaffirmed their shared commitment to “opposing unilateral and bullying behaviors, safeguarding the basic norm of international relations and our common, justified rights.”

Speaking to the China-CELAC Forum on Tuesday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping announced plans to build closer ties with Latin America through political, economic, academic and security exchanges.

China’s trade with the region has been growing rapidly, exceeding $500 billion for the first time last year, as it imported more farm products such as soybeans and beef, energy resources such as crude oil, iron ore, and critical minerals.