Panama City, Mar 18 (EFE).- Europe is concerned about its loss of influence in Latin America and China’s growing presence in the region, one of the co-presidents of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, or Eurolat, said here.

“We worry about no longer being the big economic partner that Europe has been for many Latin American countries, and about being replaced by another economic power, for example, China,” European Parliament member Ramon Jauregui said during the inauguration of Eurolat’s meeting in Panama.

Lawmakers from Europe and Latin America are discussing a reassessment of trade relations as they seek common strategies to deal with issues like corruption, tax evasion, migration, drug trafficking, organized crime and gender violence.

“We have spent too much time without doing what we had to do together,” Jauregui said. “We worry about Latin America looking increasingly to the Pacific as Europe looks increasingly to the East, North Africa and the Mediterranean.”

Salvadoran lawmaker Leonel Vasquez Bucaro, the other Eurolat co-president, told Efe that Latin America was seeking new markets and China’s presence in the region would grow over the next decade.

In 2000, according to European Parliament data, China ranked 16th among destinations for Latin American and Caribbean exports, and 9th as a source of imports.

Currently, China is Latin America’s No. 2 trade partner and second source of foreign direct investment behind the United States.

“Until recently, Europe saw Latin America as just a source of raw materials,” Vasquez Bucaro said. “By now, Europe should have a different strategy for Latin America, a more aggressive one, a more permanent dialogue, and a horizontal conversation.” EFE