As the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Forum is set to open in Beijing on Tuesday, expectations are running high for a new chapter in China-LAC relations, said Fernando Lugris, Uruguay's ambassador to China.

He expressed the hope for closer cooperation and stronger solidarity to tackle shared challenges and unlock new development opportunities.

"We visualize the cooperation between China and Latin American and Caribbean countries as a comprehensive strategic partnership with many different areas that we have been working on," said Lugris, who is also dean of the Diplomatic Corps of Latin American and Caribbean Countries in China.

Over the past decade, the China-CELAC Forum has evolved into a vital platform for dialogue, development and strategic coordination, he noted, adding that it has fostered deeper mutual understanding and produced tangible outcomes across the region.

China and CELAC member states have entered a new stage marked by equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and tangible benefits for the people.

In a congratulatory letter to the 9th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in early April, President Xi Jinping welcomed all CELAC member states to attend the upcoming fourth ministerial meeting in China to discuss ways to foster development and promote cooperation, and jointly contribute wisdom and strength to addressing global challenges, advancing global governance reform and safeguarding world peace and stability.

Lugris said, "We are very hopeful to see a very fruitful meeting that could reach agreements and consensus in order to project our cooperation for the next 10 years." He also expressed confidence that new areas of collaboration will be identified and expanded under the framework of the forum.

The forum has established several mechanisms — such as the ministerial meeting, dialogue of foreign ministers of China and the Quartet of CELAC and the meeting of national coordinators — to build a comprehensive network between both sides. The CELAC Quartet comprises the current rotating chair of CELAC, its previous rotating chair and its next rotating chair, as well as the current rotating chair of the Caribbean Community.

In recent years, China-LAC cooperation has steadily deepened in both quality and scope, extending into areas such as technological innovation and green development.

China is the second-largest trading partner of the Latin American and Caribbean community, while the region is the second-largest destination for Chinese overseas investment.

Uruguay, in particular, has been a key beneficiary of this partnership, Lugris noted.

"Uruguay has implemented many programs under the framework of the forum," he said, citing initiatives such as expanded scholarship opportunities for Uruguayan students in China, joint development projects, increased exchanges between political parties and think tanks, and growing trade ties.

"In the past decade, we have doubled our exports to China," Lugris said. "That is clearly an indication that China has truly opened its market to more Uruguayan products."

Amid rising unilateralism and protectionism, Lugris emphasized the forum's increasing importance in promoting experience-sharing and mutual understanding.

"The forum opens up doors for more exchange of experiences between the region and China," he said, adding that he expects robust discussions at the meeting.

Citing shared values such as upholding multilateralism and defending free trade, Lugris called for continued joint efforts to promote free trade.

"China has a very clear position in pushing for more active work at the World Trade Organization and continuing to negotiate free trade agreements with many countries around the world," he said.

China has signed free trade agreements with five LAC countries — Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Nicaragua — and negotiations for similar agreements with Honduras and El Salvador are progressing in an orderly manner.

Despite what he described as "very severe" global circumstances, Lugris expressed strong confidence in China's economic outlook, noting that a healthy Chinese economy sends a positive signal not just to its citizens, but also to the world.

"There has been an incredible modernization of the Chinese economy in the past decades, with a lot of efforts in science and technology," he said, pointing to visible changes in daily life such as mobile payments, electric vehicles and other innovations that often surprise foreign visitors.