China-Latin America Cooperation Initiative: Exploring Investment Opportunities in Energy Transition and Advanced Energy Storage Technologies

On May 13, 2025, the China-Latin America and Caribbean Community (CELAC) jointly formulated an action plan aimed at exploring investment opportunities in energy transition and advanced energy storage technologies. This initiative is designed to assist both parties in achieving a green and low-carbon energy transformation.

During the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the China-CELAC Forum held in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China and CELAC member states agreed on the following points:

Action Plan for Cooperation in Key Areas (2025-2027)

1. Equal Trust and Strengthening Political Relations

• Enhance high-level exchanges to promote dialogue and coordination on major international and regional issues, safeguarding the interests of the Global South.
• Broaden personnel exchanges at various levels to strengthen experience sharing in key areas.
• Recognize the importance of legislative exchanges and agree to enhance mutual learning within the scope of their respective powers.
• Discuss existing mechanisms to strengthen the forum’s construction, actively exploring ways to enhance political coordination and high-level dialogue.

2. Mutual Benefit and Deepening Development Strategy Alignment

• Conduct regular information exchanges and experience sharing regarding development strategies under the framework of national laws, focusing on initiatives such as China’s Global Development Initiative to explore cooperation potential.
• In trade and investment:
• Enhance coordination within the World Trade Organization framework to uphold a fair, reasonable, and transparent multilateral trading system.
• Continue hosting China-CELAC industrial investment seminars to explore new investment opportunities.
• Facilitate trade and investment through specific consultations.
• Hold alternating China-CELAC Entrepreneurial Summits and forums on investment and cooperation.
• Study initiatives on economic innovation between China and CELAC.
• Establish mechanisms to resolve trade disputes through constructive dialogue and manage trade frictions together.
• In finance:
• Explore deepening financing cooperation across various sectors.
• Encourage dialogue between China and CELAC countries and regional development banks, studying the establishment of equity investment cooperation funds.
• Support the hosting of a “Panda Bond” seminar within the China-CELAC framework in 2025 to promote market information exchange.
• In infrastructure:
• Continue hosting forums on China-CELAC infrastructure cooperation.
• Strengthen cooperation on infrastructure projects and actively seek collaborative opportunities.
• Enhance training cooperation in railway operation management.
• Improve levels of transportation infrastructure cooperation in areas like roads, railways, bridges, ports, and tunnels.
• Explore building friendly ports based on friendly city relationships to facilitate maritime passenger and cargo transport.
• In agriculture and food security:
• Deepen cooperation in agricultural trade.
• Collaborate on food security policies and experiences, supporting initiatives under the CELAC 2030 Food Security Plan.
• Expand agricultural technology talent training and capacity building for professional farmers.
• Encourage participation in significant agricultural exhibitions in each other’s countries.
• Promote joint research and development in agricultural innovation technologies.
• In industry and information technology:
• Discuss opportunities for cooperation in industrial development and policies, focusing on sectors like equipment manufacturing and green low-carbon industries.
• Continue high-level discussions on industrial cooperation.
• Encourage cooperation in communication equipment, big data, and artificial intelligence.
• In energy resources:
• Explore opportunities for investment in energy transition and advanced energy storage technologies.
• Enhance practical exchanges on sustainable energy transitions.
• Support joint research and technology exchange.
• In customs, taxation, standardization, and personnel movement:
• Study the expansion of mutual recognition agreements for “Authorized Economic Operators” to improve trade facilitation.
• Explore mechanisms for standardization cooperation in key areas.
• Promote training in standardization capacity building.

3. Cultural Exchange and Strengthening Public Support

• Promote exchanges among students, researchers, and artists.
• Discuss organizing a China-CELAC Civilizational Dialogue Conference.
• Strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation in the arts.
• Enhance collaboration in media and communication.

4. Consensus Building to Address Global Challenges

• Strengthen cooperation in global security and cybersecurity.
• Deepen dialogue on counter-terrorism and transnational crime.
• Enhance collaboration in poverty alleviation and development.
• Address climate change and environmental protection collaboratively.
• Explore disaster risk management and resilience building.
• Strengthen cooperation in science and technology innovation.
• Enhance digital technology cooperation.
• Promote health and wellness collaboration.

5. Implementation

• The cooperation areas outlined in this plan are not exclusive.
• All parties may implement this plan flexibly and voluntarily, ensuring it does not affect existing bilateral agreements.
• Challenges faced by the least developed countries and those recently emerging from conflict will be considered during implementation.

Annex

• From 2025, China will invite 300 officials from CELAC member countries to visit annually and will continue to host the China-CELAC Party Forum.
• The Chinese government is willing to provide 66 billion RMB in credit support for practical cooperation across various fields.
• China will offer 3,500 scholarships and 10,000 training slots for CELAC member countries from 2025 to 2027.
• Support for Chinese language education and the establishment of Confucius Institutes.

This action plan is designed to enhance cooperation and mutual understanding between China and CELAC countries, promoting sustainable development and addressing global challenges together.