The economies of China and of the Latin America and the Caribbean region are the current global growth poles and, over the coming years, will grow twice or three times as quickly as the industrialised economies, which will have to adjust to slower growth and higher unemployment. The present juncture offers an opportunity to rethink global and regional partnership strategies and to put greater emphasis on South-South ties in trade, foreign direct investment FDI) and cooperation. In this document, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) posits that China and the Latin America and the Caribbean region now enjoy a sufficiently mature relationship and are poised to make a qualitative leap towards a mutually beneficial strategic alliance.