A senior Chinese official has called for stronger ties with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), describing the partnership as critical to advancing shared development goals and protecting the interests of the global South.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi issued the appeal ahead of the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum, which opened in Beijing on May 13 and marks the tenth anniversary of the forum’s establishment.

In a commentary written ahead of the meeting, Wang Yi reviewed a decade of co-operation between China and LAC, framing the relationship as a natural alliance amid shifting global power dynamics.

He pointed to expanding trade, infrastructure investment and multilateral co-ordination as evidence of a growing partnership.

He also warned against external attempts to stall the region’s development.

Wang Yi argued collaboration between China and the LAC bloc is an inevitable outcome of today’s international climate.

"The collective rise of the Global South is a distinctive hallmark of the great transformation in the world," he said, adding that China-LAC co-operation sends "a strong message of the global south seeking strength through unity and aligns with the dominant trend toward a multipolar world."

Wang Yi said the past decade of diplomatic, economic and cultural engagement laid a solid foundation for future co-operation.

He cited several milestones, including the doubling of trade volumes between China and LAC, which reached US$518.4 billion in 2024, as well as infrastructure and industrial capacity projects that he said had created over one million jobs in the region.

China has established a range of partnership agreements with LAC countries over the years, and 20 nations have signed on to development initiatives under the Belt and Road framework.

Beyond economic ties, Wang Yi pointed to people-to-people and cultural exchanges as a central pillar of China-LAC relations.

These include over 17,000 government scholarships, 13,000 professional training opportunities, and the establishment of 68 Confucius Institutes and Classrooms across 26 LAC countries. Several LAC governments have also designated the Chinese Spring Festival as a public holiday.

Wang Yi highlighted closer co-ordination between China and LAC at multilateral platforms including the UN, G20, APEC and BRICS.

Amid mounting global uncertainty and geopolitical tension, Wang Yi warned of attempts by unnamed powers to block the development of China and the global south.

"A certain major country, holding a ‘me-first’ worldview, is trying to snatch the fruits of development from the global south, including China and LAC countries, and to hold back or even halt our modernisation process," he said. "Pursuing modernisation is a legitimate right of people in all countries, not the privilege of a few."

He called on China and the LAC region to defend their independence and development interests and to collectively resist external interference.

He also endorsed LAC countries’ calls for not only political