BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- China-Latin America cooperation, built on the basis of equality, has been beneficial for both sides and helpful in boosting multilateralism, Argentine economist and China expert Gonzalo Tordini has said.
"Our region gives strategic importance to the relationship with China. This is demonstrated by the agreements that most Latin American countries have reached with China," the expert said during a recent interview with Xinhua.
"The relationship has developed not only at the investment and trade level, but also in the fields of culture, sports, education, tourism, science and technology," said Tordini, head of educational affairs at the Latin American Center on Chinese Political and Economic Studies.
China has become the second largest trading partner of Latin America, while the latter is one of the fastest growing regions in terms of exports to China. Two-way trade rose 18.9 percent year-on-year to reach 307.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, according to China's official data.
Tordini agreed with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who on Thursday said that China-Latin America cooperation is a voluntary choice of both sides, and is in conformity with their fundamental interests and needs.
Wang addressed the seventh round of Dialogue of the Foreign Ministers of China and the Quartet of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States held on Thursday on the sidelines of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
"The deepening of the links between the region and China is attributable to sovereign decisions taken inside the international playing field," Tordini said.
As an example, Tordini said that "between June 2017 and August 2018, Panama, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador agreed on establishing diplomatic ties with China successively."
The expert said "that's how benefits are obtained as a result of the exchange between the parties, with the opening of the markets and by facilitating Chinese investments in the region, which lead to a greater economic development."
"At the same time, mutual understanding, friendly ties and people-to-people exchanges thrive, all of which are the necessary foundations to successfully develop joint projects that are ongoing and many others that will come," Tordini said.
Data show that over 2,000 Chinese companies have been investing or doing business in Latin America, creating 1.8 million jobs for the local community.
"China has ratified that it will not close the doors of its economy, but instead that it will continue with its policy of reform and greater openness which complements Latin America's need to increase its exports and access to Asian markets," the expert said.
Our "shared vision regarding multilateralism is the appropriate response to protectionism, which is a threat to global trade," Tordini said.
