President Hu Jintao arrived in the Cuban capital of Havana on Monday to strengthen ties and enhance bilateral relations. Hu's visit to the communist island is the first since Raúl Castro took over from his ailing brother Fidel.

According to AFP, Hu's Latin American tour, which includes visits to Costa Rica and Peru, shows that China is expanding its diplomacy and investment in the region. China, the news agency said, is eyeing both natural resources and developing markets for manufactured goods.

China was Cuba's second biggest trade partner in Latin America. Last year, combined trade with the country stood at 2.7 billion USD (2.1 billion euros). China is also one of the country's main creditors.

AFP said that ties between China and Cuba have grown stronger since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. China offered support to then-president Fidel Castro who was trying to deal with the economic fallout of the Soviet Union collapse.

This two-day visit is Hu's second to the island. The first time he visited was in 2004 when 16 cooperation agreements were signed. He is expected to build on those agreements during this visit.

Current deals include both onshore and offshore oil exploitation in Cuba by Chinese companies and the development of Cuban eye hospitals in China.

Hu's next stop is Peru where he will attend an Asia-Pacific summit.

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