Above: Changsha, China

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Hundreds of executives from Latin America, the Caribbean and China recently gathered for the eighth China-Latin America and the Caribbean Business Summit.

Last week’s summit, hosted in Changsha, China, focused on opportunities for businesses from both regions.

The summit was organized by the Inter-American Development Bank, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the People’s Bank of China and the government of Hunan Province.

“Latin America has much to gain from deepening its relationship with China, just as China has much to gain from our region,” said Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank. “For our governments, this is a strategic priority. But much of the day-to-day building of those links will fall on the private sector.”

China joined the IDB as a shareholder in 2009, and is now the top trade partner for several countries in the region, including Brazil and Chile.

Trade between Latin America and the Caribbean and China is expected to double in the next decade.