HEFEI, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- A symposium on the cooperation between China and Latin-America was held Sunday in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province.

More than 100 experts from countries including China, the United States and Brazil exchanged views on topics such as China-Latin America cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, the construction of a community of shared future, and Latin-America's foreign policies.

China's trade with Latin-America and total direct investment in the region have both surpassed 200 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, according to Li Changhua, China's former ambassador to Chile, Columbia, and Costa Rica.

The continent is rich in resources and is China's important source of energy products, mineral resources and agricultural products, Li said.

"Though we are geologically far from each other, the people of both sides share a traditional friendship. China has become Latin-America's second largest trading partner and an important source of foreign investment," said Yu Baotao, vice president of Anhui University, the event organizer.