China and Latin America, two great civilizations, are embracing each other despite geographical distances in an effort to enhance their comprehensive cooperation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's just-concluded week-long tour in Latin America has deepened China's relations with the continent and laid the groundwork for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit planned for later this year.

The upcoming trip will be Xi's second to the continent as Chinese president in more than one year, which demonstrates the new Chinese leadership values China-Latin America relations, an integral part of the Chinese government's overall diplomatic balance.

FRUITS OF WANG'S VISITS

Economic and trade cooperation was highlighted during Wang's visits to not only such regional giants as Argentina and Brazil, but also such traditional friendly countries as Cuba and Venezuela.

"What affects me most during the trip is that China and Latin America are highly complementary in their development. They are natural cooperative partners and can realize common development and prosperity," Wang said in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, before he ended his trip.

Wang said China was seeking to invest in infrastructure projects -- chiefly roads, railways and power stations. He stressed China's interest to set up a fund to increase investment in infrastructure-lacked Latin America.

"There is great potential for further oil cooperation with Latin America. We'd like to set up long-term partnerships, especially with Venezuela and Brazil," Wang said.

After talks with Wang on Monday, President Nicolas Maduro said Venezuela hoped to export as much as a million barrels a day to China, which would make China Venezuela's top oil buyer. The two countries are already in talks to achieve that goal.

Venezuelan government data showed in the first four months of 2013, the country exported 626,000 barrels of oil a day to China.

In Buenos Aires, China and Argentina agreed to expand trade and cooperation on major projects in such areas as agriculture, infrastructure construction, energy, science and technology and finance.

Argentine newspaper Clarin said the Argentine government is expecting China to invest 4.7 billion US dollars in a hydroelectric project and 2.4 billion dollars in a railway project.

China is also interested in another hydroelectric project in Neuquen in central Argentina, and is bidding for it, the report said.

In the Cuban capital of Havana, Wang urged Cuba and China, Cuba's number two economic partner after Venezuela, to translate the strength of their high-level political relationship into concrete results of mutually beneficial cooperation and further exchange their governing experience.

He also called for enhanced bilateral cooperation in such key areas as trade, investment, agriculture, infrastructure, energy and mining, saying the two sides need to foster new growth points in cooperation in tourism, renewable resources and bio-technology.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR CHINA-LATIN AMERICA RELATIONS

"I'm full of expectations about China-Latin America relations this year," Wang said in March.

Wang's expectations were based on the fact that China and Latin America have moved toward deeper mutual trust and cooperation in the past year thanks to exchanges of top-level visits, which opened a new horizon for bilateral relationship and contributed to the strengthening of South-South cooperation.

In April 2013, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto visited China during the Boao Forum in south China's Hainan Province. The forum, for the first time, established a panel for Latin America.

Barely two months later, Xi returned the favor by paying a visit to Mexico, during which the two countries elevated their ties to comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi also visited Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago. During his stay in Trinidad and Tobago, Xi met leaders of eight Caribbean countries.

During Xi's visits to the three countries, China signed with them 24 agreements on cooperation in various fields.

Experts said Xi visited some countries that past Chinese presidents never visited, which showed China's willingness to deepen and broaden its ties with developing countries.

In fact, China and Latin America can enjoy a long-lasting relationship because their trade structures are highly complementary, which offer a wide range of cooperation opportunities beyond energy to include finance, agriculture, infrastructure, science and technology, aerospace and tourism, among others.

China has become a key partner for Latin America and the Caribbean as trade between China and the region grew 22-fold from 2001 to 2012, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean said in a report.

Meanwhile, the two sides also seek to promote mutual investment as they try to balance their economic exchanges.

By the end of 2013, 80 billion dollars had flown from China to Latin America, 13 percent of China's total global investment, creating much needed jobs in the region.

Besides, China and Latin America face common challenges during their development and both have to deal with issues such as rural-urban migration, sustainable development, environment protection and the widening wealth gap.

This year will also witness the first ministerial conference of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) forum, which, according to Wang, will be "an important breakthrough" in bilateral relations.

Wang use a line to describe China's relationship with Latin America and the Caribbean: "Bosom friends from afar bring a distant land near."

"This year we face an important opportunity for taking this relationship to the next level," he said.

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