ByMOJINGXI
[email protected]P
resident Xi Jinping saidChi-
na supports LatinAmerica
in speeding up its integra-
tion process and backs the
proper handling of the Venezuela
issue via dialogue and consultation.
During his meeting withColom-
bian counterpart Ivan Duque Mar-
quez inBeijing on July 31, Xi said
China has always respected Latin
American people’s right to choose
development paths of their own.
Xi called LatinAmerican and
Caribbean countries “a force to be
reckoned with in the international
arena” as they boast huge potential
and broad prospects.China is will-
ing to strengthen the building of the
Forum ofChina andCommunity
of LatinAmerican andCaribbean
States, he added.
China welcomesColombia’s par-
ticipation in jointly building theBelt
and Road, Xi said.
Duque made a four-day state visit
toChina from July 28 to 31, his first
visit to the country since becomingpresident last year.Before his arrival
inBeijing, he visited Shanghai.
Xi said he highly appreciated
Duque’s dedication to deepening the
traditional friendship and mutually
beneficial cooperation between the
two countries.
As next year will mark the 40th
anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic ties betweenChina and
Colombia, Xi saidBeijing is willing
to jointly plan withBogota the blue-
print for future development and
push bilateral ties to a new level.
He urged the two countries to
keep closer high-level exchanges,
share experiences on state gover-
nance and tap the full potential of
bilateral cooperation.
China will continue to support the
Colombian peace process and post-
conflict reconstruction, Xi said.
Duque said his country is willing
to actively participate in the joint
construction of theBelt and Road as
the initiative bears great significance
in promoting global interconnectiv-
ity and cooperation.
He saidC hinesecompanies are
welcome to invest inColombia,while every bilateral cooperative
project between the two countries
will be considered support for the
Colombian peace process, thus con-
tributing to the country’s economic
and social development.
The two leaders also witnessed the
signing ceremony of a series of bilat-
eral cooperative agreements after
their meeting.
Also on July 31, Premier Li Keqiang
and top legislator Li Zhanshu met
with Duque. Li saidChina is willing
to expand two-way investment with
Colombia.
China is nowColombia’s second-
largest trading partner with bilateral
trade reaching $14.6 billion last year,
said the Foreign Ministry.
Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Stand-
ingCommittee of the National People’s
Congress, said he expects the NPC
andColombianCongress to jointly
implement the consensus reached
by the two countries’ presidents and
facilitate parliamentary exchanges at
all levels, including special commit-
tees and friendship groups.Xinhuacontributedtothisreport.IntegrationurgedduringtalkswithColombianleader
Xipledgessupport
for LatinAmerica
ByJINGSHUIYU
andZHONGNAN
China and the United States will
hold the next round of high-level
economic and trade consultations in
the US in September, following their
“constructive” talks in Shanghai.
Vice-Premier Liu He, US Trade
Representative Robert Lighthizer
and Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin met for the 12th round of
high-level Sino-US trade negotia-
tions in Shanghai on July 30 and 31.
Both sides conducted “sincere,
efficient and constructive” in-depth
exchanges on major economic and
trade issues of common interest,
the Ministry ofCommerce said in a
statement.
They also discussedChina’s pos-
sible purchase of more US agricul-
tural products based on domestic
need, and the US creation of favor-
able conditions for the transaction,
according to the statement.
Yang Weiyong, an economics pro-
fessor at the University of Interna-
tionalBusiness and Economics in
Beijing, said it is an encouraging sign
that the latest meeting concluded
constructively.
“But there’s still some way to go
for the two sides to finally reach a
deal. The key to advancing future
China-US economic and trade con-
sultations lies in sincerity,” Yang said.
HuaChunying, a spokeswomanfor the Ministry of ForeignAffairs,
said at a news conference on July
31 that the US should show more
sincerity and integrity in economic
and trade consultations.
She said that only when the US
shows full integrity and sincerity
and conducts the talks in a spirit of
equality, mutual respect and mutualunderstanding, are consultations
likely to make progress.
The US andChina, the world’s
two largest economies, have been
addressing bilateral trade differenc-
es for over a year. The talks on July
30 and 31 were the first since the two
countries’ top leaders agreed in June
to resume consultations.Chen Dongqi, an economist at the
National Development and Reform
Commission’sAcademy of Macroeco-
nomic Research, said the US should
be aware that using tough talk and
other tactics to support or cheer on
its negotiating team will only bring
uncertainties for businesses on both
sides and damage the mutual trust
built for decades between the two
countries.
“The US should add more credible
and reasonable factors into the talks
rather than putting extreme pres-
sure on negotiating partners, as well
as onChinese high-tech companies,”
Chen said.
To safeguard its interests,China has
changed its stance from previously
maintaining an amenable approach
in trade and economics talks to
taking a relatively tough stance, an
action forced by the US’ repeated
changesof attitudes and actions, said
Yan Jinming, an economics professor
at Renmin University ofChina.Contactthewritersat
[email protected]Bothsidesconductedin-depthexchangesonkeyeconomicandtradeissues,ministrysays
Sino-US talks ‘constructive’
President Xi Jinping accompaniesvisiting Colombian President
Ivan Duque MarquezinBeijing on July31.WANGZHUANGFEI/CHINADAILY
China and the United States held high-level economic and trade talks in Shanghai on July 30 and 31.
LIUBIN/XINHUA4 TOPNEWS August 2 -8, 2019 CHINADAILY GLOBAL WEEKLY