Cuban leader Raul Castro arrived in Beijing on Wednesday morning for his state visit to China. Analysts said Cuba expects to find more business opportunities and learn from China's experience of development.

The 81-year-old president of Cuba's Council of State and Council of Ministers will meet President Hu Jintao on Thursday and exchange views with Chinese leaders on bilateral ties and international and regional issues of common concern. He will sign documents on bilateral cooperation during his visit, which lasts until Saturday.

Castro is being accompanied by top government officials, including Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, deputy president of the Council of Ministers, and Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, minister of foreign affairs, according to the Cuban Granma newspaper.

This visit marks Castro's first official visit since he took over power from his 85-year-old brother Fidel Castro, former Cuban president and revolutionary icon, in 2008. He will visit Vietnam later.

Media and experts said Castro's Asian visit is geared toward learning from China's experience of development and reform, and exploring new chances of economic cooperation.

China has been supportive of reforms launched by Raul Castro to make the Cuban economy more efficient. And China could also serve as a model of reform for Cuba, which is interested in modernization, said the Argentina Independent newspaper.

Beijing has shown interest in supporting Cuba as it goes through the painful and laborious process of reforming its economy, according to AFP.

Cuba is highly impressed by China's dynamic economic development and it is paying attention to the problems entailed in the reform, said Yang Jianmin, an expert on Cuban studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Attitudes toward reform are the key to Cuba's development. The Cuban government has not made up its mind yet on overall reform, but it is moving forward step by step, Yang said.

China is a crucial trade and economic partner for Cuba, said Cubastandard.com, a website that covers Cuban business and economic news.

Economic development may highlight the issues discussed during Castro's visit, since Castro's delegation includes Ruiz, vice-president in charge of strategic commercial relations, according to the website.

"These visits are of strategic importance because China is one of the three main trading partners with Cuba," Juan Triana of the Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy told AFP.

"It is also important in these moments of great global difficulty to be able to explore whatever new business opportunities might exist with China," Triana said.

Cuba was the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, on Sept 28, 1960.

The mutually beneficial relationship and cooperation between China and Cuba continued to deepen in recent years with dynamic exchanges and cooperation in various sectors, including politics, economics and trade.

China is the second-most important trading partner for Cuba after Venezuela. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached $1.8 billion in 2010.

zhouwa@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/05/2012 page11)