
BEIJING, May 13 (Reuters) - Trade between China and Latin America exceeded $500 billion for the first time last year, China's President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.
Xi told Latin American and Caribbean officials it was a great pleasure to have "old and new" friends gather, in his speech delivered at the China-CELAC Forum summit in Beijing on Tuesday.
China supports Latin America and the Caribbean nations to expand their influence in the multilateral arena, Xi said.