WUHAN, April 24 -- The first China-Latin American and Caribbean States Space Cooperation Forum kicked off in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province on Wednesday.

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing read out President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter to the forum and made a speech at the opening ceremony.

Zhang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said Xi's letter fully recognizes the progress made in and the role played by space cooperation between China and the Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The letter expresses high expectations for the building of a high-level space cooperative partnership between the two sides and points the direction for the two sides to deepen such cooperation, according to Zhang.

He said that China stands ready to work with the Latin American and Caribbean countries to strengthen the synergy of development strategies in the field of space, deepen scientific and technological innovation cooperation, create more application scenarios, promote industrial complementarity and mutual enhancement, and intensify talent exchanges, so as to push bilateral space cooperation to a higher level, bring tangible benefits to the people of both sides, and work together to build a community of China and the Latin American and Caribbean countries with a shared future.

Luther Castillo Harry, minister of science, technology and innovation of Honduras, read out the congratulatory letter from President of the Republic of Honduras Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento. Gabriela Jimenez, Venezuelan minister of science and technology, read out the congratulatory letter from Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Representatives of space agencies, universities, research institutes and enterprises from China and Latin American and Caribbean countries, and those from international organizations attended the opening ceremony.