President Xi Jinping is scheduled to pay state visits to Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and Mexico starting Friday. The visits will deepen China's ties with the three nations and inject new vitality into China's interaction with Latin America and the Caribbean.

That Latin America and the Caribbean have been chosen as the destinations for Xi's second overseas trip since he took the helm of the country indicates China's new leadership considers building friendly ties with the regions a priority for the country's diplomacy.

Xi's visit to Trinidad and Tobago, the first trip by a Chinese president to an English-speaking country in the Caribbean, is expected to bring bilateral relations, as well as relations with the English-speaking part of the Caribbean, to a new level. China is expanding its exchanges with Trinidad and Tobago in such areas as infrastructure and communications, and jointly tapping the potential in energy and tourist sectors.

As the only country having diplomatic relations with China in Central America, Costa Rica has maintained friendly relations with Beijing. The signing of a free trade agreement between the two in 2011 has put bilateral trade on a fast track. Xi's visit to Costa Rica will open new horizons for bilateral cooperation in such fields as infrastructure, tourism, energy and ecological preservation.

Xi's visit to Mexico is expected to help consolidate the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries and deepen multi-faceted cooperation between the two emerging economies. As members of the Group of 20, China and Mexico would be better able to defend their interests, and those of other emerging economies, if they coordinate more closely on international and regional issues.

During his trip, Xi will also meet other regional leaders and exchange views on issues of mutual concern.

Xi's visit to the three countries sends a strong signal to the outside world that Beijing is committed to expanding reciprocal cooperation in an all-round way with Latin America and the Caribbean.

The two sides now have more interests in common and their cooperation in economic and trade is highly complimentary.

Xi's trip to the region will build on this desirable momentum and usher in an even brighter future for practical cooperation between the two sides.

(China Daily 05/31/2013 page8)