Xi begins Latin visit with trade mission

President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Wednesday morning to start his Latin America trip, which is expected to bring fruitful results in areas such as trade, investment and infrastructure.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Xi will visit Ecuador, Peru and Chile, and attend the APEC leaders meetings at the weekend.

During the visits, China will sign multiple agreements with the Latin American countries to enhance cooperation in areas including trade, investment, finance and nuclear power.

While in Ecuador, Xi will talk to President Rafael Correa, meet reporters, attend launch ceremonies for Chinese-assisted projects and witness the signing of agreements, Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Chao said.

It will be the first visit by a Chinese president to Ecuador since diplomatic ties were established 36 years ago.

In Peru, Xi will meet with the country's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski following the last bilateral meeting that took place two months ago in Beijing.

It will the first time the presidents of China and Peru have visited each other's countries within such a short period, showing the close relationship between the two, according to the foreign ministry.

China will also begin negotiations with Chile over expanding the free trade agreement that was signed 11 years ago.

Since becoming president in March 2013, Xi has visited Latin America twice, travelling to Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and Mexico in 2013 and Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba in 2014.

China is Peru and Chile's largest trade partner and Ecuador's third-largest. It is also the main investment source for the three countries. Last year, China's direct investment in Latin America reached $126.3 billion.