BEIJING — China hopes to achieve a higher level of comprehensive cooperative partnership with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in the construction of the Belt and Road, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a signed article.

China hopes to make the China-Latin American cooperation a new model of South-South cooperation, said Wang in the article published by People’s Daily on Jan 18, just three days ahead of the upcoming Second Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum, scheduled to be held in Santiago, Chile.

Wang said that both China and the Latin America are developing countries and “seeking national development and people’s happiness are our shared aspiration.”

Since it was first proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative has been translated from a vision into a vigorous reality, obtaining a good start in Latin America and the Caribbean region, he said.

“Many countries in the region look forward to stimulating their own development and promoting Sino-LAC relations through cooperation within the framework of the initiative,” said Wang.

China and the LAC need to strengthen the top-level design and deepen policy coordination and then work out a roadmap and guidelines for the joint construction of the Belt and Road, he said.

While welcoming more LAC countries to sign cooperation agreements under the Belt and Road Initiative, China will work to increase economic openness to facilitate and liberate trade, to enhance connectivity of infrastructure, and to consolidate financial integration.

According to Wang, Latin America and the Caribbean states have become the second largest destination of Chinese overseas investment.

Wang also stressed that both sides should enrich people-to-people exchanges and expand cooperation in sectors such as culture, science and technology, tourism and education.