Latin American, Caribbean countries entitled to independently choose development paths: spokesperson

BEIJING, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Latin American and Caribbean countries have the right to independently choose their own development paths and cooperation partners, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

Responding to relevant remarks by certain U.S. officials, spokesperson Zhao Lijian also said that the so-called cooperation of the United States, acting for its own self-interest and with the purpose of excluding and containing other countries, is bound to fail.

Upholding the philosophy of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, win-win cooperation, openness, and inclusiveness, China conducts practical cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean countries in economy, trade and other fields on the basis of respecting each other's needs and interests, Zhao said at a press conference.

The economic and trade cooperation between China and Latin American and Caribbean countries has grown under the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, with bilateral trade exceeding 450 billion U.S. dollars for the first time last year, Zhao said.

"This played an important and positive role in reviving the economy and improving people's livelihood of the countries in the region, and it shows that bilateral cooperation has a strong resilience and endogenous power."

Noting that Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said in a bylined article recently that Mexico hopes to build a new political and economic relationship on the American continent in the 21st century, based on international law and the principle of non-interference, Zhao said he believes this also speaks for the vast majority of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

"Latin American and Caribbean countries have the right to independently choose their own development paths and cooperation partners," said Zhao.

Zhao added that the so-called cooperation of the United States, acting for its own self-interest and with the purpose of excluding and containing other countries, shows great disrespect to Latin American and Caribbean countries. "It is bound to fail because it will not win recognition from countries in the region, let alone bring real benefits to people in the region."