CCTV9英语新闻：China-CELAC Forum begins in Beijing on Thursday（在线收听）

Beijing is to play host to a ministerial meeting between officials from China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC. The two-day forum will begin on Thursday.

A dialogue across continents. The first China-CELAC forum will bring together ministers and delegates to map overall guidelines for cooperation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will speak at the opening ceremony. Costa Rican President, Luis Guillermo Solis; Ecuadorian President, Rafael Correa Delgado; Bahamas' Prime Minister, Perry Christie; and Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro Moros will also attend.

It will be followed by the ministerial-level forum in the afternoon.

On Friday morning, Premier Li is expected to meet with all delegates. The outcomes from the dialogues will be announced in a press conference by the Chinese and Costa Rican foreign ministers.

Over 40 ministers from 30 of the CELAC countries have confirmed their attendance.

"The main priority is to carry out the concensus reached by President Xi and the Latin American countries during Xi's trip there in July. Therefore it's necessary to sit down and discuss guiding principles, key areas of cooperation and the establishment of relevant mechanisms to continue cooperation in the long term" Zhu Qingqiao, deputy director of Dept. Of Latin American Affairs, Foreign Ministry, said.

Bilateral trade volume in 2013 reached over 260 billion US dollars. President Xi's visit extended cooperation beyond traditional areas, with over 150 agreements, in sectors such as finance and investment.

The forum takes the theme "New Platform, New Starting Point, New Opportunity" and aims to further boost cooperation.

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States was created in 2011. It is a regional bloc for Latin American and the Caribbean. It consists of 33 sovereign countries in the Americas and represents roughly 600 million people.