China, Ecuador strategic partnership sees smooth, steady growth

Wang said that China and Ecuador, with mutual trust and support, have entered a new stage of development and achieved fruitful results in all fields.

China is willing to further enhance the all-round and in-depth development of bilateral relations, he said.

Long said Xi's trip to Quito next week will further cement the ties.

Katalina Barreiro, an expert on international relations at Ecuador's Institute of Advanced National Studies, said that "traditionally, we have been more familiar with Western powers than Eastern powers, but China is a strategic partner at this historic point in time for Latin America and for Ecuador."

China's presence in Ecuador "is palpable and highly useful," Barreiro told Xinhua, speaking highly of "China's successful cooperation" in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that devastated towns along Ecuador's northern coast on April 16, killing 673 people.

"The most effective cooperation came from China," said Barreiro, referring to the humanitarian aid, including tents, foldaway beds and water purifiers that China donated for the homeless.

The bilateral ties have been propelled forward not just by the exchanges of high-level visits, but also by mutual respect for the principles of sovereignty and non-intervention in domestic affairs.

Milton Reyes, a professor and researcher of Asia-Pacific affairs at the Latin American Integration Association (Aladi), said the two countries "have shared values on the matter of sovereignty," which allows Ecuador to "make its own decisions."

That has also encouraged Correa's government "to seek to elevate the bilateral ties and explore the potential to expand cooperation, access to financial resources, direct investment and the entry of (Ecuadorian) products into the Chinese market," Reyes said.