SANTIAGO - A Chinese initiative to build a "community of common destiny" with its Latin American partners is a welcome idea, the head of a UN regional commission has said.

It is an important initiative especially as "China's role is crucial in the current change of eras the world is undergoing," Alicia Barcena, executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), told Xinhua in a recent interview.

During Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Latin America last year, he highlighted the common role of China and Latin America in building a more balanced international order and a more prosperous world, pointing out that the two sides are growing into "a community of common destiny."

Commenting on Xi's words, Barcena said Latin American nations and China are already on the path to build a common community, as they "establish a common position on important matters, such as climate change, (world) peace and where we're headed."

More recently, she said, in the lead up to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's just-concluded four-nation Latin America tour, "we updated the information on where we stand today and what the prospects are for our region to prepare, through ECLAC and other regional blocs."

"The Sino-Latin American partnership can bring a breath of fresh air to international relations ... where the region has always been on the sidelines, and through association with China we may achieve an agreement in concert with the international community that will provide more balanced climate and food security," Barcena said.

She said Latin America can share its experience in urbanization with China as the continent's major cities have accumulated know-how in managing population density, pollution and mass transit.

On the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Barcena said Latin American countries should consider participating in the China-proposed institution as many European nations have.

She described the bank, designed to serve as an alternative to traditional lending institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, as "an initiative with huge scope."

Among large-scale infrastructure projects promoted by China abroad, Barcena highlighted a rail network throughout Africa and a transcontinental railway connecting South America's Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

The ECLAC chief said she would like to see more Chinese companies, especially the country's "technologically advanced" automobile manufacturers, running businesses in the region.

Latin America and China "could do a lot in the areas of agro-industry, energy, automobiles, public transport and infrastructure," she said.