CHINESE President Xi Jinping has announced the launch of a deepening of co-operation between his country and the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Speaking in Beijing at the opening ceremony for the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Forum on Tuesday, he gave details of five new programmes covering areas such as politics, economic development and people-to-people exchanges.

Mr Xi called on the two sides to jointly write “a new chapter” in their shared future.