China-CELAC Forum ministerial meeting
Xi Jinping speaks of the principles of a more just international order
In the late 1990s, on the basis of the rejection by the peoples of the world of neoliberal economic policies, the principles of the Third World project of 1955 to 1983 were again brought to consciousness. Latin America played a leading role in this renewal of the principles of the formerly colonized peoples, with Chávez and Fidel being key actors. ALBA (Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our America) was established in 2004, proclaiming the need for solidarity and cooperation among nations, and CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) was established in 2010. In CELAC’s Second Summit in Havana in 2016, the Declaration of Havana affirms the commitment of the thirty-three governments to expand commerce within the region and to develop a form of integration based on complementariness, solidarity, and cooperation. The Latin American and Caribbean example was soon embraced by the peoples of the East, the Arab world, and Africa.
Alongside and complementing these developments in Latin America and the Global South, China entered the third stage in the evolution of its socialist project, under the leadership of Xi Jinping. Standing against the imperialist policies that are integral to the neocolonial world-system, China affirms, in theory and in practice, that all nations of the world ought to be free to control their economies, their political systems, and their foreign policies; and they ought to be free to trade among themselves, without interferences and interventions by global powers that seek control of natural resources and markets. As this process unfolded, China took center stage as an emerging world power seeking to develop in practice commercial relations on the basis of the concepts of Chinese foreign policy, forging commercial relations that depart from the standard practices of the established neocolonial world-system.
In 2014, Xi Jinping met with the heads of state of the nations of CELAC to establish the China-CELAC Forum, and he subsequently visited Venezuela and Cuba. In an interchange with Latin American journalists, the Chinese President described China as a large nation, but not a global power, and in a phase of development similar to Latin America and the Caribbean nations. He maintained that China is seeking to develop through trade based on cooperation and win-win relations of mutual benefit. He defended South-South cooperation as the engine that can drive the autonomous and sustainable development of the underdeveloped nations, and he observed that the expanding economic and social relation between China and CELAC are an example of this necessary South-South cooperation. He affirmed the commitment of China to an alternative international economic and political order, more just and reasonable.
The declarations of the Chinese president prompted Cuban journalists Yaima Puig and Leticia Martínez to write, “Our region, historically plundered and beaten by foreign powers, now receives respectful treatment and gratitude from the Asian giant.” They described the China-CELAC Forum as a project for integral development of cooperation through commerce, investment, and financial cooperation, increasing the economic growth of both parties, with reciprocal investment oriented toward the productive sectors and the diversification of production, and financial cooperation among the central banks. They maintained that China is announcing “a road . . . where our interests also are important and are taken into account; a road that announces a clear sign concerning the strengthening of unity and collaboration and the promotion of South-South cooperation between China and Latin America and the Caribbean.” It is a road of respect for the principles of complementarity and dialogue. They commended “the respect and simplicity with which the Asiatic giant has approached [Latin] America.”
The fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum was held in Beijing, the capital of China, on May 13, 2025. Chaired by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the Meeting was organized with the intention of “Planning Development and Revitalization Together, Jointly Building a China-Latin American and Caribbean Community with a Shared Future.” It issued the Beijing Declaration as well as the Joint CELAC-China Plan of Action for Cooperation in Key Areas 2025-2027, which includes specific measures of cooperation in technological innovation, commerce, investment, finances, agriculture, information technology, energy, and minerals, as well as cooperation that will occur under the rubric of the Belt and Road Initiative, in which more than twenty countries of CELAC participate, with more than 200 infrastructural projects. China is now the second commercial partner of the region.
In comments prior to the Meeting on May 11, Miao Deyu, Vice Minister of Foreign Relations of the People’s Republic of China, pointed out that China considers Latin America and the Caribbean as a fundamental region of the Global South, with much potential and with an active voice in defense of world peace, multilateralism, cooperation, and respect for established norms, standing against economic bullying and the politicization of commercial and economic relations. He pointed out that the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean are constructing their own destiny, and they are in no nation’s backyard, with reference to the continuing imperialist policies of the USA toward the region.
In an editorial published on May 15, Global Times writes:
The Beijing Declaration is a manifesto from the Global South for building a more just world, and it deserves close and careful reading by anyone seeking to understand the Global South. It conveys a message of peace, affirms the importance of upholding international law and promoting the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and supports resolving differences, disputes, and conflicts through peaceful means. It reflects the sense of responsibility of the Global South, emphasizing that global economic governance must address the common concerns of all countries, especially developing countries, and reaffirms support for a fair, transparent, and rules-based multilateral trading system. Filled with enthusiasm for cooperation, it expresses a willingness to enhance intergovernmental dialogue and deepen mutual learning and exchange in areas such as infrastructure, connectivity, scientific and technological innovation, energy transition, and poverty reduction. It represents the direction of the future, advocating for the building of a peaceful world and the promotion of inclusive, mutually beneficial, and win-win economic globalization. This declaration leads the times, reflecting how China and Latin American and Caribbean countries, in the face of changes in the world, our era, and history, consciously respond with a proactive sense of historical responsibility.
In the remainder of this commentary, I review the contents of the Beijing Declaration, and I place the full text of the speech by Xi Jinping at the Forum, which are followed by reflections on China’s special status as a rival power of the USA.