The Angel of Independence monument is lit up in red to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Mexico in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, Feb. 14, 2022. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By WANG Xiaoxia

In Mexico, the "home of corn," Chinese scientists are working with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) to develop wheat and maize varieties that can fight climate change, resist diseases and save water. Thirteen new maize varieties from the CIMMYT have been planted in Nepal and other countries, helping to increase local food production and incomes.

Collaboration with China can be regarded as one of the mutually beneficial examples of working together to safeguard the world's food security, said Bram Govaerts, director general of CIMMYT.

Technical cooperation between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries has yielded fruitful results, not only in agriculture, but also in clean energy, space science and public health. 

In Argentina, with the joint effort of Chinese engineers and local staff, the Nestor Kirchner-Jorge Cepernic Hydroelectric Power Plant on Santa Cruz River is under construction.

Upon completion, the hydropower station is expected to generate 4.95 billion kWh of electricity annually, enough for 1.5 million Argentine households, while also saving the country nearly 1.1 billion USD a year in oil and gas imports.

Meanwhile in the fight against COVID-19, China has cooperated with Brazil, Chile and other LAC countries in vaccine production and drug R&D, to protect people's lives and health.

In the fields of space science, China and Argentina have worked together in deep space exploration. China and Brazil have jointly developed several earth resources satellites. In addition, China and Chile have launched an astronomy research center to carry out research on astronomical observation.

China and Latin America have set a good example of South-South cooperation, and they are expected to carry out more exchanges and cooperation through such multilateral platforms as the China-CELAC Forum in the future, so as to jointly benefit the world, said Argentine sociologist Marcelo Rodriguez.