President Xi Jinping expressed support on Tuesday for Latin American countries' independence and self-reliance as he met with his Ecuadoran counterpart Daniel Noboa in Beijing, state media reported.

Noboa, a staunch ally of US President Donald Trump, has travelled to China for a week-long visit which began on Sunday.

Trump, who is pushing for Latin American governments to crack down on organised crime and migration, has scored several diplomatic victories in the region since returning to the White House last year, with countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Honduras having shifted to the right or consolidated conservative realignments.

In their meeting in the Great Hall of the People, Xinhua News Agency reported that Xi told Noboa that "China supports Latin American countries in upholding independence and self-reliance, pursuing foreign cooperation based on their national interests, and safeguarding regional peace and stability".

"China has always maintained that the status of the Latin American and Caribbean region as a zone of peace should not be shaken, the course of development and revitalisation of Latin American and Caribbean countries should not be disrupted," Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.

"The right of Latin American and Caribbean countries to independently choose their cooperation partners should not be interfered with." Xi added.

He called also for China and Ecuador to consolidate political mutual trust and expand cooperation in energy, minerals, infrastructure and finance. (AFP)


Edited by Aaron Tam