By Satyaki Chakraborty
The Ninth Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held at Tegacigalpa, capital of Honduras on April 9 concluded its deliberations of the 33 member regional body by calling for increased political and economic collaboration between the member nations through the synergy in their respective economies. The declaration emphasized the need for close cooperation in trade, commerce and investment amongst the member nations for getting benefits from the current global trade war.
In her inaugural address, Honduras President Xiomara Castro said “Maintaining this space in the midst of fragmentation and siege has been difficult, but it has been necessary to show that we continue working for unity, as the continent of hope and political diversity,” Castro said “CELAC is not a perfect organization, but it is ours. It was born from a dream, an ideal, and a utopia of our liberators and founding fathers: the Latin American integration in the face of the great powers.”
“This dream of unity and of a greater homeland is more urgent than ever today, as the old neoliberal order imposed on our countries collapses and the great powers like the United States redraw their economic map without asking which countries are left behind,” the Honduran president stated.
To highlight the importance of international cooperation and solidarity, Castro criticized the actions that Western powers deploy against the peoples of the world. “We condemn the cruel and inhumane economic blockade that the United States has maintained against the heroic Cuban people for more than 64 years. Cuba does not export terrorists. It exports scientists, doctors, and the dignity our peoples demand,” she stressed.
“We recognize the sovereignty of the Argentine people over the Malvinas Islands, the clamour for peace in the Gaza Strip […] We recognize the resistance of Haiti, which demands a sovereign homeland whose destiny is defined by its people and not by foreign interference.”
To conclude, the Honduran president recalled the most important figures in the founding of CELAC, an institution to which she asked to remain faithful to the dreams of historical leaders such as Simon Bolivar, Hugo Chavez, and Fidel Castro, among others. “We are certain that CELAC will not only overcome its challenges but will keep alive the dreams of revolutionaries and of peoples who never give up. As Commander Chavez used to say, ‘Utopia is on the horizon, and we walk toward it so we never stop walking.’”
The CELAC summit held in the midst of the latest trade war launched by the U.S. President Donald Trump gave a big political opportunity to China to talk of collaboration and cooperation with the member nations of CELAC to boost their economies to meet the challenge of the current trade war.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent congratulations to the 9th summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), by saying that the World today is undergoing accelerated changes unseen in a century and that the global south, including China as well as Latin America is growing with a stronger momentum. CELAC has remained committed to independence, self-reliance and strength through unity, playing an important role in safeguarding regional peace and stability, promoting development and cooperation, and advancing regional integration, he said.
The Chinese president sincerely wished the countries and people of Latin America and the Caribbean greater achievements on the path to development and revitalization so as to make greater contributions to the solidarity and cooperation of the Global South. China-Latin America relations, Xi said, have withstood the test of international turbulence and entered a new stage marked by equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and tangible benefits for the people.
The two sides have deepened political trust, expanded practical cooperation and enhanced people-to-people exchanges, delivering benefits to both peoples and setting an example for South-South cooperation, he said, voicing China’s readiness to work with countries in the region to push for new progress in building a China-Latin America community with a shared future.
This year, China will host the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum in Beijing, Xi noted. All CELAC member states are welcome to join China in a concerted effort to facilitate development and cooperation and contribute wisdom and strength to addressing global challenges, driving reform in global governance and safeguarding world peace and stability, Xi said
At the sidelines of the CELAC summit, the leaders of Mexico and Brazil decided to strengthen trade between their nations, Latin America’s two biggest economies. The move was an evidence of the sort of trade alliances likely to be developed as a counterweight to US President Donald Trump’s shifting positions on global tariffs, which have thrown markets into chaos.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva met on Wednesday and discussed at length their joint approach on trade to fight the high trade tariffs imposed by the U.S. Lula posted on X: “We decided to further strengthen relations between our two countries by promoting regular meetings between our governments and the business sectors of Brazil and Mexico.” Mexico and Brazil are the two largest economies among the CELAC nations. (IPA Service)
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