China, Latin America boost trade cooperation at new forum

China and Latin American countries stepped up efforts to increase investment and trade cooperation at the inaugural Shanghai International Economic and Trade Cooperation and Culture Exchange Forum on Thursday.

Around 100 international guests attended the event in the east China metropolis. Sponsored by the China Association of Trade in Services and co-organized by local media outlet Shanghai Spotlight, the forum focused on emerging markets, including Latin America.

A dedicated investment promotion session of the forum featured presentations from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic.

“We are building our Chamber of Commerce. We have a great agenda for this year to promote in all the provinces that we cover in our jurisdiction like Jiangxi, Jiangsu,” said Carlos Mendieta, Consul General of the Dominican Republic in Shanghai.

“There are many opportunities in Latin America. So, it’s more on understanding of the local cultural traditions, business practices, trade negotiations and the rules governing cross-border trade,” said Antonio Basilio, director of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) International Secretariat.

“I believe that through cross-cultural storytelling and bilingual platforms and cultural discussion we encourage participation, we encourage mutual respect and we attempt to bring Shanghai and China to a wider international audience,” said Alex Butler, general manager of Spotlight Matrix Media which runs Shanghai Spotlight.

Delegates from member cities of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) gathered in Wuxi, east China’s Jiangsu Province, on Friday, for a dialog to explore how cultural creativity can help drive sustainable urban and industrial development.

Running through Saturday, the event has brought together representatives from more than 10 cities across over 10 countries, including France and Spain.

Wuxi joined the network last October as “Creative City of Music.” Jiangsu Province now has five cities included in the UCCN.

The network aims to promote cooperation among cities that identify creativity and culture for key factor of urban development.

“It’s also a way for cities to demonstrate what they are doing in terms of strategies, in terms of initiatives, in terms of policies at a local level, how they can use culture and creativity to build more resilient, safe, inclusive, and culturally cities,” said Denise Bax, secretary of the UCCN.

Representatives from other “Cities of Music” around the world shared their thoughts on how music could be further integrated into local development and international cooperation.

“A lot of students are from China in our conservatory, and I think that this is one of the first steps that we can connect with Wuxi. Then we are interested to learn the strategy of Wuxi and most of all in involving young generation in the music, creativity, and public policy about music and creativity,” said Daniele Vimini, vice mayor of Italy’s Pesaro.

Established in 2004, the UCCN aims to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. So far, the network includes 408 cities from more than 100 countries.