Half of the globe apart, still good neighbors: Xi Jinping's affinity with Latin America

Since 2012, China has been Latin America's second-largest trading partner. In 2022, trade between the two sides grew 7.7 percent year-on-year to reach $485.7 billion. According to a recently released report by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, China will be the region's fastest-growing export market this year.

With the Chancay Port, trade between China and Latin America is expected to soar further. "The Chancay Port will help Peru improve shipping efficiency and deepen trade cooperation with Asia," said David Gamero, a deputy manager at the Chancay megaport project.

INTERACTION OF TWO GREAT CIVILIZATIONS

"Condition of good friends, condition of old wine," Xi cited a Brazilian proverb to describe the long-running friendship between the Chinese and Latin American people when addressing the Brazilian National Congress during a visit to the South American country in 2014. It was Xi's first visit to Brazil after assuming the Chinese presidency.

In the speech, he told stories of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. He also quoted Brazilian lyricist and novelist Paulo Coelho and mentioned the Brazilian TV series Escrava Isaura, which was quite popular in China in the 1980s.

"I listened to President Xi's speech at the Congress in 2014," said Fausto Pinato, president of the Brazil-China Parliamentary Front of the Brazilian National Congress. "In addition to the cooperation between the two countries in diplomacy and trade, he also mentioned plenty about Brazilian culture, such as Brasilia's architecture, President Kubitschek's words, Brazilian TV series and a Brazilian journalist."

"His knowledge of Brazil made us proud," he added.