BEIJING, Jan. 6 -- As the first ministerial meeting of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) prepares to open, the timing is right for China and Latin America to break new ground and promote cooperation in an all-round manner.

The two-day meeting, starting on Jan. 8 in Beijing, will see representatives from China and CELAC meeting together with the heads of Latin American regional organizations.

The event is expected to push China-Latin America comprehensive cooperation to a new level.

The idea of this meeting was agreed during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Latin America in July 2014. Xi and CELAC leaders announced the establishment of the cooperation forum and agreed to hold its first ministerial at as soon as it could be arranged.

Within only half a year, the agreement has entered into implementation phase and will mark a major achievement, a fact indicating that all participants involved are sincere and keen to promote the cooperation with this platform.

China values the development potential of Latin America, and it will also provide more opportunities to Latin America to take a ride on the Chinese "express train" of development.

Into the 21st century, China-Latin American trade has increased more than 20 times, from 12.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2000 to 261.6 billion dollars in 2013.