First China-CELAC Forum ministerial meeting concludes in Beijing

BEIJING - The first ministerial meeting of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) concluded in Beijing on Friday with the announcement that the forum's next meeting will be held in Chile in 2018.

The two-day meeting, co-chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Costa Rican counterpart, Manuel Gonzalez Sanz, passed three major documents: the Beijing Declaration, a five-year cooperation plan and the regulations on the China-CELAC forum.

China and CELAC have also reached a consensus on deepening political mutual trust, expanding cooperation and promoting development of the forum.

Wang said that President Xi Jinping's remarks at the opening ceremony will guide the development of the China-CELAC forum.

"China will make efforts so that both sides can reap early harvests from the forum and build a new model of South-South cooperation," Wang said.

Gonzalez said that the historical meeting has launched overall cooperation between China and countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region, which will build a closer CELAC-China relationship and benefit people from both sides.