South America rises to new challenges
The privatization process announced by the Brazilian government will be vital for Chinese companies, especially State Grid, Santoro said. State Grid is already a major player in Brazil's energy market and is a likely buyer for Eletrobras, Brazil's giant state-owned utility enterprise.
Santoro said public opinion in Brazil is positive toward China, and Brazilians see their country as a major economic partner and a rising power.
He added that Brazilians are wary of US President Donald Trump, who recently accused Brazil and Argentina of devaluing their currencies.
"There is interest and respect for Chinese culture, and this feeling is particularly strong among young people," Santoro said.
In Colombia in November, President Ivan Duque praised the signing of a contract with APCA Transmimetro, a Chinese railway construction consortium, to build the first subway line in Bogota, the capital.
"Bogota has been dreaming of this for decades. Today, we take another step, and I would say that it is the most important－the signing of the contract," Duque said.
"The formal construction of the subway starts now. The transformation of our capital starts now. The largest investment in the history of the city starts now."
Presiding over the signing ceremony at the presidential headquarters in Bogota, Duque said that the project is set to deepen collaboration between China and Colombia in infrastructure development.
"I am sure that the successful construction of Bogota's subway will open frontiers to more projects," he said, noting that the event coincided with the 40th anniversary of ties between the two countries.
He also said that during a visit to China in July, he and Chinese officials spoke of the importance of "having more Chinese companies wanting to come to Colombia to invest in infrastructure projects".
The World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Investment Bank are also taking part in the subway project, which is expected to generate some 60,000 jobs, according to Duque.
APCA Transmimetro, comprising China Harbour Engineering Co and Xi'an Metro Co, will be involved in all aspects of the project, from design to partial financing, to building the stations and supplying the trains, and operating the system for 20 years.
In Uruguay, meat processors are looking to increase beef exports to China.
Federico Stanham, head of the National Meats Institute, or Inac, in Uruguay, said that developing brand recognition among Chinese consumers is a "topic that interests us very much".
"Countries that have positioned their brand, such as Australia, have achieved 25 percent higher sales in meats than we have," he said. "Led by Inac, Uruguay has, since April, launched a strong promotional campaign in China on social networks, at points of sale and at food distributors and producers."
The campaign is aimed at making the "Uruguay brand" better known in China, a destination for some 60 percent of the country's beef exports.
Last year, Uruguay exported about 446,000 metric tons of beef, generating revenue of $1.72 million, with China buying 294,000 tons worth $1.01 million.
