It is heartening to see President Xi Jinping's visit to Trinidad and Tobago, the first leg of his three-nation state visit to Latin America and the Caribbean, has already achieved eye-catching results. With the two sides poised to mark next year's 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, Xi's visit, the first by a Chinese president, has historic significance as it has lifted bilateral relations and mutually beneficial cooperation to a new height.

When meeting with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago, Xi put forward a four-point proposal suggesting that the two sides enhance high-level interaction, expand cooperation in such sectors as infrastructure construction, energy and mining, increase people-to-people exchanges and strengthen coordination on international affairs.

Xi's proposal shows China's commitment to carrying forward its time-honored friendship with Trinidad and Tobago as well as advancing bilateral pragmatic cooperation.

It is noteworthy that Xi also met the presidents of Guyana and Suriname, and the prime ministers of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, the Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados on Saturday and Sunday in the capital of Trinidad and Tobago.

Xi pledged that China will scale up assistance to Caribbean nations in an effort to give fresh impetus to the cooperation between China and the region through such initiatives as establishing one or two demonstration centers in the next three years to showcase agricultural technologies and sending 100 medical staff to the region.

The meetings, though informal in nature, were a manifestation of China's balanced diplomacy, which gives equal importance to advancing ties with both developing and developed partners.

What Xi's visit has achieved so far shows China's new leadership is looking to forge stronger ties with the Caribbean region. China's decision to contribute more to regional development should be a blessing to the region as well as a golden opportunity for the two sides to press ahead with the growth of bilateral relations, which is an open and inclusive process featuring win-win cooperation.

China and Caribbean countries enjoy a historical friendship and share the same approach to development. Over the years, the two sides have found an increasingly common language in nation-building, governance and international affairs.

As long as the two sides uphold the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and common development, bring into play respective advantages and expand cooperation, China and Caribbean nations will be good partners that support each other in their pursuit of common prosperity.

(China Daily USA 06/04/2013 page10)