not like the “Northern Neighbor” — EADaily, July 23, 2023 — Politics News, Russia News

On the sidelines of the European Union (EU) – Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit, many important negotiations took place and several significant statements were made. In particular, China’s clear interest in supporting the development of the weakest countries in the region, including investment assistance, was expressed. Bolivian President Luis Arce announced in an interview with Chinese media the main areas of cooperation with China.

Recall that Bolivia is an underdeveloped agrarian state, where about 70% of the population lives below the poverty level. At the same time, this country has the second largest natural gas reserves in South America and is rich in other minerals and natural resources.

As the President of Bolivia stated Louis Arce in an interview with Xinhua News Agency, he has great expectations and plans to achieve the goals of joint cooperation with China. Especially within the framework of the program: “One Belt, One Road”.

“As a developing country, Bolivia also seeks greater development based on its own economic model, and can take advantage of China’s development knowledge and incorporate it into its model,” said Luis Arce.

Also, the head of state stated that Bolivia is rich in natural resources, and China has advanced technologies.

“We can use this to benefit the whole world, and especially people who are in poverty,” Arce concluded.

At the same time, the Bolivians note that China’s entry into the economy of their country is based on respect for the ecology, traditions and history of multinational Bolivia. Unlike the “Northern Neighbor” – the United States.

A few years ago, the Parapeti Bridge, one of the most important facilities on the El Espino Highway, was officially opened to traffic by China Railway Group. As Xinhua news agency reported at the time, the new highway passes through places with exceptionally rich flora and fauna, therefore, during its construction, more than 300 tunnels were arranged under the roadway for the passage of mountain boars and other wild animals, and measures were taken to protect the soil from erosion and preserve the vegetation cover.

And then archaeologists discovered a large number of ceramic vessels, stone products, jewelry and other relics along the road under construction, indicating that already in antiquity the Guarani people settled in these places. As soon as these finds were made, China Railway Group immediately began to support local authorities to preserve the heritage and create a museum. “Respect for our nature and our roots is respect for the ancient Guaraní culture,” said a local community leader. Eugenio Biticai. The bridge was built as part of the One Belt, One Road initiative.

As of 2021, the total amount of contracts awarded by Chinese contractors in Bolivia exceeds $4 billion. China has become Bolivia’s most important construction contracting partner, El Deber comments.

Chinese engineering company Sinohydro Bureau 4 recently signed a 53.4 million yuan ($8.4 million) contract to build a gas-fired power plant in Bolivia. It will become part of the metallurgical complex in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz. The plant is designed to produce about 194 thousand tons of steel per year. After the metallurgical enterprise reaches its design capacity, Bolivia will be able to halve the cost of purchasing steel from abroad. This will also increase the production of its own metal products, which will give impetus to the development of the construction industry of this Latin American state, the Chinese agency reports.

Bolivian President Luis Arce called the agreement between Yacimientos de Litio Boliviano and the Chinese firm CATL BRUNP & CMOC (CBC) on the construction of two industrial complexes for the production of lithium carbonate historic, Prensa Latina reports on January 20. It should be noted that in June 2023, Rosatom also entered into an important lithium mining agreement with the Bolivian state company Yacimientos de Litio de Bolivia. Russian specialists will build an industrial complex in Central America for the extraction and production of lithium carbonate.

In May 2023, Bolivian President Luis Arce expressed his readiness to use the Chinese yuan in international trade.

“China is a very important partner for us, not only from a trade and economic point of view, but also because our ties with China have a long history. We have a lot of common ideas,” Arce said in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of the EU-CELAC summit.

Bolivia intends to learn from China’s experience in addressing inequality and reducing poverty, while Bolivia has its own experience to share with the Chinese side. China has one of the oldest cultures in the world, and the two countries have a lot in common in the cultural sphere, as well as similar views of the world.

The Bolivian president said in an interview with Chinese media that the system of global governance is currently undergoing tremendous changes – the United States and Europe are experiencing an economic crisis, facing many problems, while states such as the BRICS countries are on the rise.

The United States is now actively ousting it from the Latin American platform, but China is doing it. First of all, through investment and trade. China is entering the region systematically, emphasizing what countries need as a priority, and this is its advantage. And not only to the USA.