THE UN Economic Commission for Latin Amer- ica and the Caribbean （ECLAC） is one of the institutions that has done in-depth study on the relationship between China and the Latin American and Caribbean region over the last few years. In mid-December， its executive secretary Alicia Bárcena visited Beijing to participate in an Advisory Council meeting of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation （BRFIC）， with the intention of finding new ways of better exploiting the initiative sponsored by the Chinese government to benefit countries related.
China Today： Mrs. Bárcena， what is the reason for your visit to Beijing？
Alicia Bárcena： I’m here as a special guest to the Belt and Road Advisory Council. During this occasion， I’ve had meetings with representatives of various important institutions like the National Development and Reform Commission， the Development Research Center of the State Council of China， the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology， and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade， the council of Chinese enterprises both state-owned and private. These four meetings have been crucial in helping us define ways to improve the relationship of China and the ECLAC.
China Today： You participated in the fourth Silk Road Forum conducted in Paris on December 7. During the forum， you pointed out that the Belt and Road Initiative （BRI） could be an important opportunity to boost inclusive and sustainable investments. What benefits could this initiative generate for the accomplishment of， let’s say， the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda or the Paris Agreement？
Alicia Bárcena： Several things. On the one hand， we’re aware that the Belt and Road Initiative is oriented towards the connectivity of the European and Asian regions， but we also feel that it could be an opportunity to shorten distances between China and Latin America and the Caribbean （LAC） on many fronts for enlarging digital， maritime， and aerial connectivity between our regions， and then increase trade and investment， etc. On the other hand， we are glad to see more environmental sustainability and social justice criteria being incorporated into the Belt and Road Initiative， which goes right in line with the 2030 Agenda.
We see how China has changed immensely over the last 40 years economically and socially， and now how it is strongly committed to environmental sustainability. From this we see many benefits of mutual learning， as well as a great chance to promote Chinese investments in LAC. Today， we have over 16 signatory countries to the initiative， starting with Panama and now including many other countries. As a result， we see great interest inside our region in the initiative as well as many opportunities for cooperation.
