China Hosts Latin American Leaders In Move To Deepen Ties

AFP/APP

Beijing: China on Monday prepared to welcome Latin American leaders to Beijing for a major summit, seeking to draw the region closer in response to the trade war with the United States.

Beijing has stepped up economic and political cooperation with Latin American nations in recent years and urged a united front against US President Donald Trump’s recent maelstrom of tariffs.

Two-thirds of Latin American countries have joined Beijing’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road (BRI) infrastructure programme, and China has surpassed the US as the biggest trading partner of Brazil, Peru and Chile, among others.

The forum between China and the 33-member Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is due to formally begin on Tuesday.

Beijing has already begun welcoming regional leaders, notably Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who arrived in Beijing on Saturday for a five-day state visit.