Xi Jinping arrives in Trinidad to boost Caribbean trade with China

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in oil-rich Trinidad and Tobago late on Friday for the first leg of a Latin America and Caribbean tour aiming to strengthen Beijing’s trade ties in the region.

Xi kicked off his trip in this tiny English-speaking country off Venezuela before heading to Costa Rica and Mexico, ahead of a June 7-8 summit with US President Barack Obama.

The Chinese leader’s plane touched down at Port of Spain’s airport, where he was greeted by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who said she was “honoured” that he made her country his first stop.

Xi’s visit to Trinidad – the first by a Chinese president – follows a trip to Port of Spain on May 27 by US Vice-President Joe Biden, who attended a summit with Caribbean leaders. Xi is scheduled to leave Trinidad on Sunday.

China’s trade ties with Latin America have soared in recent years as the world’s second biggest economy taps into the region’s mineral and oil wealth to fuel growth.

Xi – who took office in March in a once-in-a-decade power transfer in Communist-ruled Beijing – said ahead of the trip that he had “full confidence in the prospects of China-Latin America relations”.

While there is “a vast ocean between China and Latin America, our hearts are closely linked,” Xi told regional media outlets in a joint written interview, according to a transcript by Chinese state news agency Xinhua.