中拉合作迈向新阶段，熊猫债引领金融合作新机遇

Report Summary 1. Report Industry Investment Rating No information provided. 2. Core Viewpoints - The China - Latin America and the Caribbean Community (CELAC) cooperation has entered a new stage, with deepening political mutual trust and expanding economic and trade cooperation. The issuance of panda bonds is an important direction for financial cooperation between the two sides, but attention should be paid to the sovereign credit risks in Latin America and the construction of a new sovereign credit rating system [1][2][6][10]. 3. Summary by Relevant Catalogs 3.1 China - Latin America Cooperation Enters a New Stage - On May 13, 2025, the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China - CELAC Forum was held in Beijing. On May 14, a seminar on China - Latin America panda bonds was held, with representatives from China and Brazil participating [1]. - Latin America is rich in resources and strategically important. In 2024, the bilateral trade volume between China and Latin America reached $500 billion. By the end of 2023, China's direct investment stock in Latin America was $600.8 billion. China has 5 free - trade partners in Latin America, and the free - trade dividends are constantly emerging [2]. - China's political relations with Latin American countries have been upgraded. China has proposed initiatives that are increasingly recognized by Latin American countries, and more than 20 countries have signed Belt and Road cooperation memorandums with China [4]. 3.2 Promising Prospect of China - Latin America Panda Bond Cooperation - In 2024, 44 entities issued 109 panda bonds with a total issuance scale of 194.8 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 26.1%. The proportion of overseas investors increased significantly to nearly 50% [6]. - In November 2024, the first panda bond issued by a Latin American entity was successfully issued, setting a benchmark for more Latin American issuers [6][7]. - Chinese rating agencies play an important role in bridging information asymmetry between overseas issuers and domestic investors. However, they need to innovate rating methods due to the limitations of local ratings and geopolitical changes [9]. 3.3 Attention to Sovereign Credit Risks in Latin America - Sovereign credit risk is an important factor affecting Latin American entities' issuance of panda bonds. The deepening of China - Latin America political mutual trust and cooperation helps improve the sovereign credit strength of Latin American economies in RMB terms [10]. - In 2025, Latin American economic growth is expected to slow from 2.4% in 2024 to 2.0%. Different countries face various challenges: Brazil has fiscal problems; Mexico is affected by the US economy; Argentina has high inflation and debt; Chile is at risk of relying on single - resource exports; and Colombia has fiscal and political uncertainties [11].