QUITO - Chinese President Xi Jinping published a signed article in the leading Ecuadorian newspaper El Telegrafo under the title "Build A New Bridge of China-Ecuador Friendship and Cooperation" on Wednesday, ahead of his state visit to the Latin American country.

The English translated version of the article is as follows.

Build A New Bridge of China-Ecuador Friendship and Cooperation

By Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China

At the invitation of President Rafael Correa, I will pay a state visit to Ecuador, the first visit by a Chinese president to Ecuador since our two countries established diplomatic ties. I will bring with me the good will of the Chinese people and their best wishes for an ever-growing bilateral relationship, and I hope my visit will help build a new bridge of friendship and cooperation connecting our two countries.

Ecuador will be the first stop of my upcoming trip to Latin America. The alluring "Republic of the Equator" is famous for its majestic Andes Mountains, vast and enigmatic Amazon rainforest, mesmerizing Pacific coast rich in natural resources, and the living museum of evolution of life, the Galapagos Islands. Living in harmony with nature, the Ecuadorian people work hard in pursuit of a better life. And the country is making robust progress in its development.

As a Chinese saying goes, "Even mountains and seas cannot distance people with common aspirations." China and Ecuador share a close bond of friendship despite the long distance between us. In April, when Ecuador was hit by a strong earthquake, the deeply sympathetic Chinese government and people rushed to the aid of the Ecuadorian government and people. Chinese companies and Chinese communities in Ecuador stood shoulder to shoulder with the local people in the rescue and relief operations, writing a new chapter of China-Ecuador friendship.

I am glad to learn that ECU 911, the public security services system equipped and built by Chinese companies, played a vital role in the rescue and relief efforts. As the command and control center, ECU 911 effectively processed a massive amount of information and sent instructions without delay, thus saving numerous lives and preventing further damage. As Ecuador's sincere friend, China will take an active part in post-disaster reconstruction and help people in quake-hit areas rebuild their homes and get their life back to normal at an early date.

Both China and Ecuador are developing countries with similar historical experience and shared development goals. Over the past 36 years since our two countries established diplomatic relations, we have forged deep political trust and friendship through mutual understanding, mutual support and mutual assistance. China firmly supports Ecuadorian people in exploring a development path suited to their national conditions. It also supports Ecuador in diversifying its economy and playing an active role in regional and international affairs.

China views and grows its relations with Ecuador from a strategic and long-term perspective. In January 2015, President Rafael Correa and I announced the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries, giving a fresh and strong boost to our political trust and strategic cooperation. Since then, we have carried out fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation across the board featuring more dimensions, wider areas and larger scales.

Trade ties continue to grow rapidly, with China becoming Ecuador's third largest trading partner. Two-way trade reached 4.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2015, quadrupling in just 10 years and promising huge, untapped potential. In addition to high-quality Ecuadorian bananas and prawns that have already entered the Chinese market, we look forward to having more local specialties and high value-added products from Ecuador to increase variety in the Chinese market.