China-LAC ties deepen in 2025, marked by mutual respect, growing trade, cultural exchange, and shared global development goals.
Beijing, China, May 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The year 2025 marks the tenth anniversary of the launch of the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Forum. Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend and deliver a speech at the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum in Beijing on May 13. Over the past decade, through joint efforts, the construction of a China-LAC community with a shared future has continuously achieved new results, and China-LAC relations have entered a new era characterized by equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness, and more benefits for the people. To enhance mutual understanding between China and LAC countries and to strengthen and promote cultural exchanges, mutual learning, and people-to-people exchanges, the Global Times Institute (GTI), in collaboration with the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) and the China-Latin America Education and Culture Center, conducted a “China-LAC mutual perception survey” in both regions. The first part, “Chinese perspectives on the LAC,” was conducted from April 11 to 22, 2025, targeting ordinary Chinese citizens aged 18 to 69. The survey was carried out through an online questionnaire distributed to members, covering 16 cities across seven major regions of the Chinese mainland, and collected 2,099 valid samples. The survey found that over 90 percent of respondents affirmed the importance of a harmonious and friendly China-LAC relationship for China’s future development, and expressed a desire for the relationship to maintain its current state or become even friendlier. US pressure and provocation were identified as the biggest obstacle to China-LAC relations, and the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and LAC received high recognition.
More comprehensive understanding
This questionnaire provides a basic explanation of the geographical scope of the LAC, referring to countries and regions in the Western Hemisphere excluding the US and Canada. Without any prompts, the survey listed 9 LAC countries and 3 non-LAC countries as distractors, allowing respondents to select what they believed to be LAC countries. The data shows that 97 percent of Chinese respondents were able to accurately identify at least one LAC country. Brazil and Mexico had the highest awareness rates, both at 63 percent; Argentina and Chile also had awareness rates of above 50 percent.
The survey also invited respondents to share their first impressions of the LAC. After conducting a keyword frequency analysis on the responses, the GTI found that “football” appeared most frequently. Besides, representative terms such as “enthusiasm,” “samba,” “tropical rainforest,” “cuisine,” “culture,” and “coffee” were also mentioned quite often. When it comes to the characteristics of Latin Americans, “passionate and exuberant” left the deepest impression on the Chinese public, at a selection rate of 55 percent. Other notable impressions included “optimistic” and “creative.” Furthermore, in the eyes of some Chinese people, traits such as self-discipline, diligence, perseverance, a focus on the present, and strong family values are also seen as prominent characteristics of Latin Americans.
Regarding the current level of economic development in the LAC, nearly 90 percent of respondents believe it is at a medium or higher level, with about half considering it “relatively high” or “extremely high,” and 40 percent rating it as “medium.” The respondents identified “resource richness,” “enthusiastic openness,” and “natural landscapes” as the top three opportunities for development in the region, with each option chosen by around half of the respondents. Additionally, over 30 percent selected “broad market” and “peaceful environment.”
Guo Cunhai, director of Department of Social and Cultural Studies at the Latin American Studies Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times, “Compared to the results of the Chinese perspectives on the LAC survey we conducted 20 years ago, this time’s results indicate that Chinese people’s understanding of the LAC has become more comprehensive.”
“Football is still the most frequently mentioned aspect, which has not changed. What has changed is that keywords such as enthusiasm, exuberance, and optimism are mentioned more often, indicating that as China-LAC relations have become closer and cultural exchanges have increased, Chinese people’s understanding of the LAC has evolved from a material level to an understanding of the inner spirit of people there,” Guo said.
Cooperation for mutual benefit
In recent years, products such as cherries, beef, and red wine imported from the LAC have increasingly appeared in the daily lives of Chinese consumers. Surveys show that 87 percent of respondents have used or purchased products from the region, with the usage/purchase rate of cherries being the highest at 46 percent. This is followed by beef, coffee, and avocados, all exceeding 30 percent, while red wine is close to 30 percent. Survey data indicates that the mutually beneficial nature of China-LAC cooperation is highly recognized by the Chinese public. When asked, “Which side benefits more from China-LAC cooperation?” Eighty-three percent of respondents chose “mutual benefit.” The vast majority of respondents (91 percent) acknowledged the role of the LAC as participants, contributors, or beneficiaries in the Belt and Road Initiative. Gabriel Merino, coordinator of the working group “China and the map of world power” of the CLACSO, told the Global Times that China’s infrastructure investments in roads, railways, ports, dams, and energy projects across the LAC have been broadly welcomed by local communities. Notable examples include the Chancay Port in Peru and railway investments in Argentina. He added that China and Latin America also hold promising prospects for future collaboration in technological development.
Another CLACSO coordinator, Lourdes Regueiro, noted that China offers Latin America a partnership not based on political conditions or ideological alignment, positioning itself as a key development partner that refrains from imposing political or economic models on the region.
The survey was conducted amid the US government’s push for so-called “reciprocal tariffs” worldwide. When asked about the potential impact of this policy on China-LAC trade, nearly half (48 percent) of respondents believed it would disrupt the global trade order and negatively affect China-LAC trade. Another 15 percent of respondents said the consequences remain uncertain, potentially forcing the LAC to choose sides between the US and China. Meanwhile, 24 percent of respondents saw it as an opportunity to expand China-LAC trade.
The survey also highlighted perceptions of obstacles to China-LAC relations. “US pressure and provocation” ranked as the top challenge, cited by 41 percent of respondents – far outpacing other factors. Over half (54 percent) viewed the US as a “troublemaker” in China-LAC cooperation.
Boundless potential
Regarding the current China-LAC relations, 76 percent of the respondents believe that the overall relations are “fairly friendly” or “very friendly,” while 21 percent think they are “neither good nor bad.” Ninety-six percent of the respondents consider that for China, the LAC is mostly in normal, friendly, or strategic partnership relations. Ninety-five percent of the respondents affirm the importance of the harmonious and friendly China-LAC relations for China’s future development. Sixty-two percent of respondents expect that China-LAC relations will become even friendlier in the future, and 33 percent expect to maintain the status quo.
In terms of the areas where China and the LAC need to strengthen cooperation in the future, at the top of the list are “green development and environmental protection,” “trade and investment,” “infrastructure construction,” “renewable energy development,” and “high-tech industries such as AI.”
Wang Youming, research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, said that the LAC attaches great importance to environmental protection, and China has advantages in the industrial chains related to new energy vehicles and lithium batteries. China and the LAC have a strong willingness, practical actions, and promising prospects for cooperation in the field of green development.
According to the survey data, 97 percent of Chinese respondents show a high level of interest in various aspects of the LAC, including its history, culture, science and technology, and sports. Comparatively speaking, “history and ancient civilizations” and “literature and art” are the most attractive, with the proportion of respondents choosing them being 53 percent and 44 percent respectively. More than 30 percent of the respondents are interested in science and technology, sports, and economy. Also, more than 30 percent of the respondents hope to gain a better understanding of the LAC by paying attention to their film and TV shows, participating in cultural exchange activities such as music, dance, and cuisine, and reading their literary works.
If given the opportunity, which countries do the Chinese public most want to visit? The data shows that Brazil is the top destination, with 48 percent of the respondents choosing it, followed by Argentina (35 percent), Chile (33 percent), and Mexico (31 percent). Meanwhile, about 20 percent of the respondents chose Cuba, Colombia, and Panama. “Tourism” and “social media and other media” are the two main ways for the Chinese public to learn more about the LAC, with the proportions of respondents choosing them being 51 percent and 48 percent, respectively. In addition, more than 90 percent of the respondents express their welcome to people from the LAC to visit China.
In recent years, the overall influence of Global South countries has significantly increased. The LAC, as an important member of the Global South camp, has also seen a concurrent enhancement of its strategic status and the level of attention it receives in international affairs. Fifty-seven percent of the respondents believe that the region’s status in global governance will rise in the future, while 35 percent think it will remain largely unchanged.
When asked about the common characteristics between China and the LAC, 97 percent of respondents affirm that there are commonalities. Among them, the recognition rates of “advocating for peace and building a new international political and economic order” and “possessing a long and splendid civilization and culture,” and “attaching importance to green development and environmental protection” are close to or exceed half, with the proportions of respondents choosing them being 52 percent, 52 percent, and 49 percent respectively. In addition, 46 percent of the respondents believe that both China and the LAC “support multilateralism and the United Nations.”
The LAC sees itself as part of the Global South, and this seems to be a tacit consensus within the region. With the advent of a multi-polar world, I believe that the voices and demands of the Global South in the international political agenda will be strengthened, Lourdes said.
“The LAC and China will actively participate in the construction of a new international political and economic order,” he stressed.
The article first appeared in the Global Times:
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202505/1333806.shtml
Company: Global Times
Contact Person: Anna Li
Email: editor@globaltimes.com.cn
Website: https://globaltimes.cn
City: Beijing
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