Xi: Ecuador China's 'good partner'

China and Ecuador "shall be good partners" and strengthen their cooperation and exchanges across various fields, President Xi Jinping said in a signed article ahead of his state visit to Ecuador.

In the article published in the Ecuadorian newspaper El Telegrafo on Wednesday, Xi encouraged the two countries to treat each other with sincerity and trust, understand and firmly support each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concerns, as well as to work together for common development.

"China will carry out production capacity cooperation with Ecuador, increase technology transfer, and help Ecuador build greater capacity of independent development," Xi said.

Also, the two countries should nurture "ever-lasting friendship", expand exchange in various fields, including culture, education and health, and maintain close communication and collaboration to jointly safeguard the interests of developing countries, Xi said.

Ecuador, a country rich in energy resources and a major destination for Chinese investment and financing in Latin America, is the first stop of Xi's visit to Latin American countries.

According to the president, China has become Ecuador's third-largest trading partner, while Chinese investment and financing in the Andean country has exceeded $10 billion, supporting several hundred projects, including eight hydropower plants and a dozen highways.

He Shuangrong, a researcher of Latin American studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China-Ecuadorian ties are "eye-catching" among China's relations with Latin American countries due to the two countries' close cooperation in infrastructure construction.

She said that China's assistance, including its humanitarian aid to Ecuador to help it recover from a major earthquake, is vital to the Latin American country's economic development at a time when the global economy is facing downward pressure.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, after having donated $2 million in cash, the Chinese government provided 60 million yuan (about $8.7 million) worth of emergency humanitarian material aid to Ecuador, in order to help the latter recover from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake 170 kilometers outside the capital Quito in April and killing more than 600 people.

Also, the Chinese-designed and built ECU 911, the public security services system of Ecuador, played a vital role in the disaster-relief efforts.

Xi praised the system, adding that China, "Ecuador's sincere friend", will take part actively in the post-disaster reconstruction.

The president also said he hopes his visit to Ecuador "will help build a new bridge of friendship and cooperation" connecting China and the Andean country, and he looks forward to having in-depth exchanges with Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and friends from various sectors of Ecuador.

Xu Yicong, former Chinese ambassador to Ecuador, said Xi's visit will help further consolidate and deepen bilateral ties in various fields, including politics, economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

Both China and Ecuador attach great importance to the bilateral ties, which have been developing fast and still have great potential for improvement, Xu said, pointing out that the two economies are highly complementary and suggesting the two countries continue enhancing mutual trust.

Jia Xiudong, a researcher on China's foreign policy at the China Institute of International Studies, said China can use its cooperation with the "important economy in Latin America" as an opportunity to develop ties with Latin America as a whole.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 11/17/2016 page2)