A Foreign Ministry spokesman says Tuesday that China wants to further develop economic and trade cooperation with Latin American countries on the basis of mutual benefit.

The spokesman acknoledges that China attaches great importance on the economic ties with LatinAmerica. Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong will attend the opening ceremony of the first China-Caribbean Economic Cooperation and Trade Forum, to be held in the Jamaican capital Kingston on Jan. 2.

From January to November last year, the total trade volume between China and Latin America reached 36.4 billion US dollars, up 50 percent year on year. President Hu Jintao's visit to four Latin American countries at the end of last year further boosted the economic relations between the two sides. So far, China has become the fourth biggest trade partner of Latin America.