中国ちゅうごく 習主席しゅせき 中南米ちゅうなんべい諸国しょこくを支援しえんへ 貿易ぼうえきの多角たかく化か進すすめるねらいか

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at a ministerial-level meeting with Latin American countries and announced that China would provide a loan framework equivalent to approximately 1.3 trillion yen to support the development of the region.

It is believed that the aim is to strengthen relations with Latin American countries and promote diversification of trade, amid ongoing uncertainty about the outlook for trade friction with the United States.

A ministerial-level meeting of the forum comprising China and 33 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean was held in Beijing on the 13th, and President Xi Jinping delivered a speech.

President Xi pointed out that the total trade volume between China and Latin American countries surpassed $500 billion for the first time last year, reaching more than 40 times the amount at the beginning of this century. He emphasized, “Amid the rising tide of unilateralism and protectionism, we want to develop together and build a community with a shared future.”

On top of that, it was announced that cooperation would be strengthened in fields such as infrastructure, agriculture, and energy, and that a credit line of 66 billion yuan, which is approximately 1.3 trillion yen, would be provided to support the development of Latin America and the Caribbean.

China announced on the 12th that it has agreed with the United States to mutually reduce the additional tariffs imposed on each other by 15%, temporarily easing the trade friction between the US and China.

However, it remains uncertain whether the U.S. and China will be able to reach an agreement in the future on issues such as market liberalization and reduction of the trade deficit, which the U.S. is demanding. It is believed that China aims to strengthen its relationships with Central and South American countries, often referred to as the U.S.s backyard, and to promote diversification of its trade.