China-LAC goods trade expected to continue growing at high speed: spokesperson

BEIJING, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- China believes that trade in goods between China and Latin America and the Caribbean will continue to grow at a high speed and achieve win-win results at a higher level, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks at a daily press briefing when commenting on the trade and economic cooperation between China and Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to a report recently released by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), China is an important trade partner and the fastest-growing export market for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Mutual benefit and win-win results are the overarching principle for the growth of the relations between China and the region, said Lin. He noted that in the first three quarters this year, trade in goods between both sides hit 427.4 billion U.S. dollars, up by 7.7 percent year on year, and the total amount for the whole year is expected to exceed 500 billion U.S. dollars.

Lin went on to point out that since the beginning of the new century, trade in goods between China and Latin America and the Caribbean has grown at a much faster rate than that with the world, underlying the highly complementary nature of the economies of both sides.

He mentioned that Chile has become China's second largest source of fresh fruit imports, and China's new energy industrial chain offers a more affordable resolution for the region's green transformation.

The surge of trade in goods between China and Latin America and the Caribbean is supported by the huge market and bright prospect between the two sides, said Lin.

"As China and Latin America and the Caribbean see each other as opportunities for development, China believes that with the concerted effort of both sides, trade in goods will continue to grow at a high speed and achieve win-win results at a higher level," said Lin.