BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory letter to the first China-Latin American and Caribbean States Space Cooperation Forum.

The first China-Latin American and Caribbean States Space Cooperation Forum, co-hosted by the China National Space Administration and the Hubei provincial government, kicked off in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province, on Wednesday.

Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing read out President Xi's congratulatory letter to the forum and made a speech at the opening ceremony.  

Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum jointly announced by the leaders of the two sides, Xi said in his letter that China and the Latin American and Caribbean countries have seen prosperous development over the past decade in their cooperation in various fields within the framework of the China-CELAC Forum to usher in a new era featuring equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and tangible benefits for the people.

Xi said China and the Latin American and Caribbean countries have yielded fruitful results in space cooperation in recent years, including new progresses in the fields of remote sensing satellites, communication satellites and the deep space station network, which has played an important role in promoting scientific and technological progress, strengthening regional connectivity and improving people's wellbeing.

China is ready to work with the Latin American and Caribbean countries to build a high-level space cooperation partnership, promote space technology to better benefit both peoples, and continue to promote the building of a community of China and the Latin American and Caribbean countries with a shared future, said Xi.