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| It was the first visit by a Chinese head of state to Trinidad and Tobago |
Chinese President
Xi Jinping has held meetings with the leaders of Trinidad and Tobago.
Mr Xi is
the first Chinese head of state to visit the Caribbean nation.
The leaders
of the two countries said their talks had focused on improving co-operation in
the energy sector. Trinidad and Tobago has large oil and natural gas resources,
while China is the world's largest consumer of energy.
Mr Xi is
also travelling to Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States.
'Key
partner'
"We
both agree to actively advance co-operation in key areas of energy, minerals
and infrastructure development and also to advance our cooperation in new
energy, telecommunications and agriculture," Mr Xi said after meeting
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Ms
Persad-Bissessar said her country sees China "as a key business partner
and potential new market for our energy products".
Energy
Minister Kevin Ramnarine said Trinidad was hoping to benefit from China's
strategy "to move the country away from coal and towards natural
gas".
Mr Xi also
announced that China would loan Trinidad and Tobago $250m (£165m) to build a
children's hospital.
Trade
between the two countries has been growing, with figures from the International
Monetary Fund suggesting it has gone up from $174m to $450m over the last six
years.
On Sunday,
Mr Xi will meet with Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla.
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Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan (R) is seen alongside Trinidad and Tobago PM
Kamla Persad-Bissessar (L) in Port-of-Spain, on June 1, 2013. Peng has turned the trip into a media sensation |
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