Interview: Ambassador anticipates "fruitful" Cuba visit by President Hu

HAVANA, Nov. 13 (Chinese media) -- Chinese President Hu

Jintao's official visit to Cuba in mid-November will be "very fruitful," Chinese

Ambassador to Cuba Zhao Rongxian said Thursday.

Hu's visit is aimed "to further promote the close

ties between both countries," Zhao said during an interview with Chinese media.

"It will be a historic and successful visit," Zhao

said, adding that China and Cuba are ready to work together for a better future

of their ties.

Hu will arrive in Cuba as the second stop of his tour

which starts with Costa Rica and will also take him to Peru and Greece from Nov.

16 to 26.

This will be Hu's second visit to Cuba as president.

During his first tour to the country in 2004, Hu witnessed the signing of 16

cooperation deals and met with then Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

The Chinese president also received the Jose Marti

medal 每 the highest national decoration in Cuba.

The upcoming visit by President Hu is an indication

that China has attached great importance to its relations with Cuba, Zhao said.

Noting that Cuba is the first Latin American country

to establish diplomatic ties with China in 1960, Zhao said economic and cultural

cooperation between the two countries has grown constantly.

China is now Cuba's second largest trading partner

only after Venezuela, with their two-way trade reaching 2.3 billion U.S. dollars

last year, said the ambassador.

Their cooperation is also flourishing in the fields

of transportation, communication, agriculture and education, Zhao added.

More than 1,000 Chinese students are learning the

Spanish language and other subjects in Cuba, while hundreds of Cuban students

are studying in China.

Cuba is indispensable for China in its bid to

strengthen links with Latin American and the Caribbean countries, Zhao said,

adding that he was confident there is a promising future for their relations.