Xi praises Ecuadorean partnership as trip starts

China and Ecuador "shall be good partners" and strengthen their cooperation and exchanges across various fields, President Xi Jinping said in a signed article ahead of his state visit to Ecuador.

In the article published in the Ecuadorean newspaper El Telegrafo on Wednesday, Xi said that Ecuador is a top destination for Chinese investment and financing in Latin America.

According to the president, Chinese investment and financing in Ecuador has exceeded $10 billion, supporting several hundred projects, including major infrastructure such as the Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower plant, seven other hydropower plants and a dozen highways.