Chinese President Hu Jintao paid state visits to three Latin American countries in mid-November. During his visits, Hu signed a series of agreements with Costa Rica, Cuba and Peru, initiating practical moves to strengthen China's relationships with Latin American countries.

"President Hu's visits to the three Latin American countries were very successful and effective," said Xu Shicheng, a researcher at the Institute of Latin American Studies, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Costa Rica was Hu's first stop on his Latin American tour. Hu was the first Chinese president to make a state visit to the country. During his visit, Hu exchanged views with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. On November 17, they jointly witnessed the signing of 11 cooperative agreements covering trade and economy, finance, energy, education, and science and technology. At a subsequent press conference, the two presidents announced that China and Costa Rica would begin free trade negotiations.

The next stop was Cuba. "President Hu's state visit took the Sino-Cuban relationship to a new level," Xu said. Cuba saw major political change starting in 2006 with the shift of administrative power from Fidel Castro to his brother Raul, who was elected president in February. Hu's visit indicated that the Chinese Government, Communist Party of China and the Chinese president himself are all paying attention to the development of the bilateral relationship. When meeting Fidel Castro, President Hu stressed that China and Cuba are "good friends," "good comrades" and "good brothers."

Hu exchanged views with Raul Castro on developing the bilateral relationship as well as on current international affairs. They also participated in a signing ceremony for cooperative agreements. The Chinese Government offered about 11 million yuan ($1.62 million) in rescue aid to help Cuban people rebuild their homes after the devastating hurricanes in late August and early September. After the disasters, China had sent Cuba $1.3 million in cash plus construction materials valued at 21 million yuan (about $3.1 million).

Hu's trip to Peru had two highlights: upgrading the bilateral relationship to a strategic and cooperative partnership and completing a free trade agreement, which will be signed in 2009. During the visit, the two countries signed agreements on agricultural imports and exports, medical services, quarantine, financial coordination and developing economic technology.

Addressing the Peruvian Parliament, Hu made five proposals to promote the relations between China and Latin American countries. Hu's proposals were in accordance with China's first Latin-American policy paper issued last month, stressing high-level exchanges, trade and economic cooperation, coordination in dealing with international issues, and cultural and social communication. "Hu's speech further stated China's stance on developing bilateral ties," Xu said.