China pledges continued friendship with Latin America and Caribbean

China will remain a good friend and partner of Latin American and Caribbean countries regardless of the evolving international landscape, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry has said.

At the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Forum in May last year, China unveiled five programs aimed at Latin America and the Caribbean, which ranged in scope from solidarity, development and civilization to peace and people-to-people connectivity.

The cooperation witnessed since then has delivered tangible benefits for all the peoples involved, Guo Jiakun told a regular news conference on Wednesday.

In 2025, trade value between China and LAC countries reached $549 billion, a record high, while China's pledged credit of 66 billion yuan to LAC countries is being disbursed ahead of schedule, according to Guo.

A series of cultural exchange activities, including a civilizational dialogue forum, think tank forum, Chinese cultural road shows and film festivals, sparked widespread interest in the countries concerned, he added.

Guo said China firmly supports the status of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace and opposes violations of the sovereignty and security of LAC countries, as well as of the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.

China has recently extended its visa-free policy to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay on a trial basis, while the number of passenger flights between China and LAC countries per week increased to 24, he said, adding that the opening of a direct flight between China and Argentina set a new record for the world's longest passenger flight.

In addition, the Chinese hospital ship Silk Road Ark has visited multiple countries in the region, providing humanitarian medical services to various communities.