All these moves showed that China and Latin America are willing to cooperate with each other, said Xu Shicheng, a research fellow at the Institute of Latin American Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Xi's recent visit was another step China took to implement its Latin American policy, he said.

At their meeting in Mexico City, Xi and Calderón pledged to make greater efforts to expand bilateral cooperation in important sectors such as mining, telecommunications, agriculture, fishery, processing and assembly, and new energy.

China and Mexico formed a strategic partnership in 2003. Since then, the two countries have strengthened political trust, expanded mutually beneficial cooperation and enhanced cultural and people-to-people exchanges, Xi said.

He also pointed out that China and Mexico, both major developing countries, share similar positions and common interests in the fight against the financial crisis.

While doing their utmost to cope with the impact of the financial crisis, the two countries should maintain close contact and coordinate their stances in an effort to safeguard their own interests and the interests of other developing countries, he added.

Xi told Brazilian President Lula that strengthened cooperation between China and Brazil is not only significant for the two countries but also has global and strategic implications. China stands ready to work with Brazil in reforming the international financial system, he said. The Chinese Government also supports exchanges between the two countries in trade, science and technology, culture, education, sports and tourism.

Brazil is currently China's largest trade partner in Latin America. Bilateral trade volume reached $42.54 billion in the first 10 months of 2008, an 81-percent increase year on year, according to China's Ministry of Commerce. Last year, China rose to become Brazil's second biggest trade partner after the United States.

Xi expounded on China's views on the financial crisis, the upcoming Group of 20 financial summit in London, the Doha Round of negotiations in the World Trade Organization and UN reform, said Vice Foreign Minister Li. In coping with the financial crisis, Xi stressed an approach that combines promoting bilateral cooperation and ensuring the stable and rapid development of the Chinese economy, he said.

Noting that most of the countries Xi visited are developing countries, Li said the visit was a Chinese initiative to join hands with developing countries to address current difficulties.

Mutual dependence

Under the impact of the financial crisis, both China and Latin America hope to expand trade with each other, said Wu Hongying, an expert on Latin American studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. Xi's visit produced a series of concrete achievements, such as cooperative agreements in various fields, which she believes will pave the way for future cooperation between the two sides. It also answered the call of Latin American countries to strengthen cooperation with China, she added.

Xi attended a total of 79 events during his seven-nation trip, according to Li. He not only met with state leaders but also had extensive interactions with parliamentarians, political parties, local officials, scholars and news organizations. More than 60 cooperative documents in the fields of economy, finance, energy, mineral resources, agriculture, infrastructure construction, advanced technology and culture were signed between China and these countries.

While vowing to boost bilateral partnership, Xi underlined China's commitment to Caribbean countries at a meeting with Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding. He promised that China would work with countries in the region to realize the blueprint put forward by President Hu.

During his Latin American tour in November last year, Hu affirmed in a speech that China is ready to work with Latin American and Caribbean countries to build a "partnership of all-round cooperation based on equality, mutual benefit and common development."

Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos told Xi that Colombia's economic development and infrastructure construction present opportunities for cooperation between China and Colombia, and that Colombia welcomes Chinese companies.

At a breakfast meeting with Chinese and Colombian entrepreneurs in Bogotá, Xi announced that China had made Colombia its sixth authorized tourist destination in South America, joining Chile, Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Venezuela.

In Venezuela, one of China's major oil suppliers, Xi suggested that the two countries establish a long-term, stable energy partnership and upgrade the level of their energy cooperation at a meeting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.