China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang
By Melanius Alphonse
Caribbean News Now associate managing editor
[email protected]
WASHINGTON, USA – At a news conference, China’s foreign ministry representative Lu Kang explained mutual opportunities and cooperation between China and Latin America countries in the “US backyard”, citing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), to help improve the region’s economy and bring tangible benefits of peace and stability to Latin America and the Caribbean.
This includes Ecuador, the most recent to receive approval to start the internal procedures to become one of the countries from the Pacific Alliance that will facilitate joint initiatives, especially with China.
Alongside the mutual opportunities to Latin America, Ecuador’s ambassador to China, Carlos Larrea Davila, noted the growth of the middle class in China is an opportunity for Latin America to be a provider of resources and cooperation in many important and strategic aspects.
On April 11, Jamaica became the fifth Caribbean nation to sign onto the BRI, following Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Guyana and Barbados. Minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, and Chinese ambassador to Jamaica, Tian Qi, signed the BRI agreement. Through this initiative, the Chinese are expected to invest heavily in each country’s infrastructure and economy.
