Staff and family members of the Chinese embassy in Washington perform during a reception on Friday for the signing of two agreements between China and the Organization of American States held at the OAS headquarters in Washington. Chen Weihua / China Daily

China and the Organization of the American States (OAS) signed two agreements on Friday to further expand their cooperation.

Under the Second Additional Protocol to the Agreement for the China-OAS Cooperation Fund and the Memorandum of Understanding for Human Development and Scholarships Program, the Chinese government will increase its pledge for the cooperation fund and increase scholarships.

Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai, who signed the agreements on behalf of the Chinese government, said that 2014 marks the 10th anniversary of China's permanent observer status in the OAS.

"We are not just observing, we have promoted high-level exchanges between China and the OAS and taken an active part in OAS activities," he said.

OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza described the signing as "recognition of China's cooperation with the OAS".

He said that "ten years have passed since China became a permanent observer and since then, it has made significant contributions that we renew today".

Insulza praised China's important and constructive role in the region and the world as well as China's support for OAS's activities on integral development, child education, gender equality, trade and competitiveness, sustainable development and environmental protection.

Ties between China and OAS members have developed by leaps and bounds in the past decade. Besides booming trade and investment ties, China has also shown keen interest in wide ranging relationships that cover culture and education to sports and tourism.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who visited Latin America three years ago as the country's vice-president, visited four Latin America countries in July and launched the China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Forum.

Cui called the Americas important cooperation partners for China. "There's a lot we can do together. We look forward to sharing opportunities with the Americas and contributing new dynamism to world stability and development," Cui said after the signing ceremony held at the OAS headquarters in Washington, which was followed by a reception where staff and family members of the Chinese embassy staged a show of singing and dancing of both Chinese and Latin American themes.

chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com