On November 18, 2008, visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with President of the Council of State of Cuba Raul Castro in Havana, exchanging views on bilateral ties and other major international issues of common concern.

Prior to the talks, Hu attended a welcoming ceremony held by Raul Castro.

Following their meeting, they are scheduled to attend a signing ceremony of documents on cooperation in the economic and educational sectors.

President Hu arrived in Havana on November 17 for a state visit. In a written speech issued upon his arrival, the Chinese president expressed belief that his visit would be a complete success under the thoughtful arrangements of the Cuban side.

China and Cuba set up diplomatic ties in 1960. Cuba is the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China. In recent years, the two countries have maintained frequent high-level visits, deepened mutual trust and conducted all-round cooperation of mutual benefit. In 2007, the trade volume between Cuba and China reached 2.28 billion dollars, up 27.1 percent from the previous year. Currently China is the second largest trading partner of Cuba, while Cuba is the tenth largest trading partner of China in Latin America. Bilateral exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture, education and science and technology have made new progress and both sides have maintained sound cooperation in international affairs.