Updated

Costa Rica's foreign minister says he sees no conflict between the U.S.'s longstanding ties with Latin America and China's growing presence in the region.

China's hosting this week of a forum with 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries highlighted what some see as a rivalry for influence in Washington's traditional backyard.

However, Manuel Gonzalez said Friday the region's relations were not exclusive and there was no reason why it couldn't maintain harmonious ties with both China and the U.S.

At this week's forum, which Gonzalez co-chaired, China pledged billions of dollars of investment in regional projects and set a target of almost doubling two-way trade to $500 billion over the next 10 years. Chinese investment in the region aims to increase to $250 billion over the next five years.