Full coverage: Xi Visits Ecuador, Peru and Chile, Attends APEC Summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping will begin a state visit to Ecuador on November 17th, at the start of a week-long Latin America tour. CCTV spoke with the Chinese ambassador to Ecuador, Wang Yulin, who said bilateral ties are better than they have ever been.

"This is the first state visit to Ecuador by a Chinese President since the two countries established diplomatic ties 36 years ago. It is a milestone in bilateral relations. During President Xi's visit, he will have deep exchanges with Ecuador's leaders on cooperation between two sides including politics, the economy, trade, culture and technology. So I believe President Xi's visit will lift the bilateral ties to a higher level," Wang said.

The ambassador said a strategic partnership had been established during President Rafael Correa's visit to China last year, and the economies in two countries enjoy strong complementarity. He said China aims to strengthen cooperation with Ecuador and help the country promote its industrialization process.