China's farsighted and pragmatic approach to development planning sets an example for Latin America, a region marked by ideological swings and short-term policies, experts say.
In recent years, Latin America has significantly boosted trade and cooperation with China to drive development in the region. But to make a leap in development, experts say, regional countries also need to learn from China's successful strategies and to adapt them in light of their own needs.
China has proven that it can sustain long-term development without being tied to a single vision for economic growth, and China even invents its own development model when necessary, Milton Reyes, an Ecuadorian researcher at the Asia-Pacific Observatory of the Latin American Integration Association, told Xinhua recently.
"The country has had the flexibility to progress while measuring risk bit by bit, allowing for sustainable economic growth," said Reyes.
Latin America, by contrast, has historically swung between two political and economic ideologies: a centralized government focusing on domestic industries and a neo-liberal growth mode focusing on free trade.
"These purist visions have not allowed for very flexible development and have not allowed Latin American economies to adapt easily to global conditions," Reyes explained.
While Latin America should be careful when exploring which strategies to follow, China's progressive attitude to reform is applicable, as it "undertakes structural reforms step by step" in pursuing development on its own grounds, said Reyes.
Ronnie Lins de Almeida, director of the Brazilian Center for China Studies, agreed.
"Economic development entails adapting the whole economy to a new reality. China has already done so, including reducing demand in certain sectors to strike a balance," he told Xinhua.
The Central American country of Costa Rica, described as "a development success story" by the World Bank, may be unique in the region for practicing a more Chinese-style pragmatism.
In pursuing development, both China and Costa Rica have tweaked policies to fit their needs, instead of hewing to a particular dogma, according to Marco Vinicio Ruiz, Costa Rica's former minister of foreign trade and former ambassador to China.
"I believe we have not strictly followed what others told us (and) neither did China .... They decided what they wanted to do and they have made enormous progress in different areas, especially in lifting many of the people out of poverty," Ruiz said.
"In Costa Rica, we strongly believe that one of the advantages of having ties with China is we can learn a lot from its development," said Ruiz.
Inspired by China, Costa Rica is studying the feasibility of establishing special economic development zones, "similar to the ones China has built along its eastern and southern coasts," said Ruiz.
"That's a good example of how we can collaborate, learning from China's experience," he added.
China's strength also lies in its ability to plan well into the future, an advantage of its political stability.
"They always have a plan and always follow a course of action," said Brazil's Ronnie Lins. "China is now undergoing a transformation phase, which other powers are also facing. China has therefore created a plan for the purpose of fulfilling the 'Chinese Dream', meaning a better quality of life for all Chinese people. This experience would be important for Brazil. Due to its political instability, Brazil has found itself without policies for medium- and long-term planning. Taking advantage of China's experience would be of great importance."
And China's experience is not just for Brazil, he added.
China's "model in general ... can be adapted to any country. Obviously, each country will also have to feature its own adaptations. However, the structure of the model works well. We have seen the success of China over the years, and the country will be able to reach its goals," said Lins.
In the meantime, the outlook for China-Latin American cooperation is promising.
"Brazil is lagging behind in areas where China has substantial expertise, such as infrastructure and railways," said Lins. "We need high-quality transportation, and airports and ports have to be maintained and renovated. That will open a series of business opportunities in Brazil."
Bilateral cooperation is expanding in other areas as well, "including oil and gas," Lins added.
"China has a great contribution to make. Furthermore, bilateral trade in industry and agriculture is growing. Brazil is selling meat to China and China is bringing other products to Brazil," he said.
With Brazil's newly-instated President Michel Temer eager to revive Brazil's flagging economy, now is the time to bolster bilateral exchange, he added.
