China to hold first ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC forum

BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Costa Rica' counterpart Manuel Gonzalez Sanz will co-chair the first ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC forum, the Foreign Ministry announced on its website on Friday.

The meeting, slated for Jan 8-9 in Beijing, will see representatives from China and CELAC, meeting together with heads of some Latin American regional organizations.

A coordinators' meeting will be held on Jan 7 to prepare for the meeting.

Costa Rica currently holds the CELAC rotating chairmanship, while Ecuador is next. The two countries, together with Cuba and Bahamas, make up the CELAC Quartet.

Established in December 2011 in Caracas, Venezuela, CELAC includes all North and South American countries but the United States and Canada.