BEIJING, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- China hopes to achieve a higher level of comprehensive cooperative partnership with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in the construction of the Belt and Road, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a signed article.

China hopes to make the China-Latin American cooperation a new model of South-South cooperation, said Wang in the article published by People's Daily Thursday, just three days ahead of the upcoming Second Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum, scheduled to be held in Santiago, Chile.

Wang said that both China and the Latin America are developing countries and "seeking national development and people's happiness are our shared aspiration."

Since it was first proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative has been translated from a vision into a vigorous reality, obtaining a good start in Latin America and the Caribbean region, he said.

China will work to increase economic openness to facilitate and liberate trade, to enhance connectivity of infrastructure, and to consolidate financial integration, he said.

Wang also added in the article that both sides should enrich people-to-people exchanges and expand cooperation in sectors such as culture, science and technology, tourism and education.