MEXICO CITY, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's **Lula has started his third term, Argentina and other countries have experienced ** elections, and the migration problem has seriously plagued many countries, and China-Latin America relations have developed rapidly and ...... under the guidance of the diplomacy of the heads of stateIn 2023, Latin America will be full of events. Among them, the 7th Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the South American Leaders' Meeting were held one after another, and Latin American countries have accelerated their vigorous pace of promoting regional integration and opposing external hegemonic interference.
Join forces to meet challenges.
As the multipolarization of the world continues to advance, Latin American countries are increasingly reluctant to be swayed by the hegemony of Western countries, especially the United States. It has become the consensus of Latin American countries to further unite countries in the region, promote regional economic integration, and seek a fairer and more independent development path.
In January this year, the 7th CELAC Summit adopted the Buenos Aires Declaration, which issued a resounding voice to strengthen regional unity, promote regional integration, and oppose foreign interference. In May, the meeting of leaders of South American countries signed the Brasilia Consensus, which decided to promote the strengthening of regional cooperation and to restart the process of regional integration, which had been interrupted for many years.
As a leader of a regional power and a representative of the resurgence of the left-wing in Latin America, Lula has repeatedly put forward initiatives to strengthen regional integration, which have been echoed by many Latin American countries. Brazil** has announced its return to CELAC and the Union of South American Nations (ULAC) this year, and Lula called for the revival of the Union of South American Nations (ULAC) and the creation of a common South American currency at the CELAC summit in May, getting rid of dependence on the US dollar.
This year, Argentina, Ecuador, Paraguay, Guatemala and other countries will hold ** elections, and Mexico, Venezuela, Uruguay, El Salvador, Panama and other countries will also usher in ** in 2024. Economic and livelihood issues have an important impact on the outcome and have become an important challenge for those in power in these countries.
In the Argentine** elections, Milley, the candidate of the far-right electoral coalition, was elected and officially inaugurated on December 10. In recent years, Argentina has been mired in a severe debt and financial crisis, experiencing a recession and hyperinflation. During the election campaign, Milley vowed to revive the economy by cutting spending and carrying out economic reforms. In the future, whether Argentina's new ** can fulfill its promise and stabilize the domestic situation has attracted much attention from the public.
On December 10, 2023, in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, Argentine New Mile gave a speech to the people on the balcony of the Rose Palace in the Rose Palace. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Herman Adrasti).
According to the report of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean**, the economy of Latin America and the Caribbean will grow by 1 in 20237%。Negatively affected by the external environment, the region's economy is likely to remain sluggish, leading to a slowdown in employment growth and a harder chance of further improvement in poverty.
Opposition to interference is growing.
In 2023, migration will remain one of the main social issues facing many countries in Latin America. In May this year, around the expiration of Title 42, the fast-track deportation order for illegal immigrants implemented by the United States in 2020, there was a resurgence of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. On 27 September, Costa Rica declared a state of emergency due to a surge in the number of immigrants entering the country. Since October, a new round of migration crises has emerged in Mexico and Central American countries, and the United States has pressured Mexico to tighten border controls.
In the past year, the United States has changed its immigration policy many times, but it has shirked its own responsibility on this issue and accused Latin American countries of ineffective control, a unilateral approach that has been opposed by many Latin American countries. López López said that the United States needs to constantly adjust its strategy and learn to respect other countries. He also criticized the current attitudes of the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States on issues such as Latin American immigration and the fight against drugs, which are mostly aimed at election campaign propaganda.
On October 22, the leaders of Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, Honduras, Colombia and other countries reached an agreement on the migration issue in the southern Mexican city of Palenque, demanding that the United States stop imposing "unilateral coercive measures" on regional countries and urging the United States to lift sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela.
The United States has tried to interfere in Mexico's internal affairs under the pretext of the drug problem and has continued to include Cuba in the list of "state sponsors of terrorism," thus making Latin American countries more aware of the hegemonic features of the United States. Latin American countries are increasingly willing to resist hegemony, their sense of independence and self-determination is becoming stronger, and their calls for unity and self-improvement are growing louder and louder.
China-Latin America relations are developing rapidly.
The "circle of friends" between China and Latin American countries is constantly expanding, and the road of friendship and cooperation between China and Latin America is getting broader and broader. In March this year, Honduras established diplomatic relations with China. Castro of Honduras paid a state visit to China in June, opening a new chapter in China-Honduran relations.
This year, leaders of many Latin American countries, including Lula of Brazil, Maduro of Venezuela, Petro Petro of Colombia, Lacalle of Uruguay, and Prime Minister Mottley of Barbados, paid state visits to China. In October, Boric of Chile and Fernández of Argentina went to China to participate in the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. In November, during the 30th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, the Chairman held bilateral meetings with López, Mexico, and Boluarte, Peru.
The high-level interaction between China and Latin America and the Caribbean has been close, and there have been frequent successes in China-LAC relations. China has established an all-weather strategic partnership with Venezuela and a formal strategic partnership with Nicaragua. Honduras joins the "Circle of Friends" of the "Belt and Road". Ecuador and Nicaragua have signed freedom agreements with China.
So far, 22 Latin American countries have signed cooperation documents with China on the Belt and Road Initiative. China has signed freedom agreements with five Latin American countries: Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Nicaragua.
On February 14, 2023, in the city of João Camara, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, local residents take water from the community water intake point of the State Grid Corporation of China's Brazil Brackish Water Desalination Public Welfare Project. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Haogan.
Against the backdrop of major changes in the world unseen in a century, Latin American countries continue to deepen cooperation with China, and look forward to China-Latin America cooperation becoming a driving force for the development and revitalization of Latin American countries and regions. Lula said that China is an indispensable and important force in the political, economic, trade, scientific and technological fields of the world today, and plays a vital role in promoting world peace and development. (Participating reporters: Yan Liang, Liao Siwei, Meng Yifei).