Chinese president says his visit to Trinidad and Tobago to inject vitality into bilateral ties (2)

（Xinhua）  11:25, June 01, 2013  

The two countries advanced to a friendly and cooperative relationship of mutual benefit and development in 2005, with bilateral cooperation in political, economic, trade and cultural fields boosted in recent years.

Two-way trade stood at 449 million U.S. dollars in 2012, according to official figures.

During Xi's stay in Trinidad and Tobago, the two countries are expected to sign a number of cooperative documents covering economy, trade and education, Chinese officials said.

Winston Dookeran, foreign minister of Trinidad and Tobago said Thursday his country hopes to take the opportunity of Xi's visit to table a number of proposals, including measures for boosting trade and investment between the two countries.

Other proposals will include furthering cooperation in the energy sector, identifying new areas for technical cooperation particularly in the fields of agriculture, education and sport, and encouraging the exchange of high-level visits between government officials of the two countries, Dookeran said.

Trinidad and Tobago also hopes that Xi's visit could help strengthen cooperation between China and regional organizations within the Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as further cooperation between Trinidad and Tobago and China in international affairs, he said.

From Port of Spain, the Chinese president will travel to Costa Rica and Mexico for state visits.

After his Latin American tour, Xi will fly to the U.S. state of California for a summit meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on June 7-8 at Sunnylands, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg estate in Rancho Mirage.

The China-U.S. summit will be the first of its kind since both nations completed their most recent leadership transitions.