2016年CRI China-Cuba relations at a historic high level: Chinese Ambassador to Cuba

Premier 1 Li Keqiang's visit to Cuba comes as the country moves towards a less a less isolated 2 status and just over a year since its normalization 3 of bilateral 4 relations with the US.

Earlier this week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid a one-day visit to the Caribbean country with which Japan has had very little ties up to date.

Although the situation has turned for the better, there are still many challenges for Cuba, a country in transition.

The US is still imposing 5 it's Cuban trade embargo 6 at this point.

Cuba also has to deal with a series of social and economic changes as it integrates into the international community, much as China did just a few decades ago.

Chinese Ambassador to Cuba Zhang Tuo says the timing 7 of Premier Li's visit is a manifestation 8 of China's willingness to help Cuba towards development and also to boost their 56-year-old bilateral relations to a higher level.

"Our bilateral relations are embracing many breakthroughs and new opportunities. We are having more high-level dialogues and gaining deeper mutual 9 trust at the political level. We are expanding areas for cooperation. There is a growing interest in the Cuban market among Chinese business people. Furthermore, we are having closer people-to-people ties."

There are more than 50 Chinese enterprises running businesses in Cuba today, not a huge number in comparison with Chinese investment in some other developing economies.

But Ambassador Zhang suggests that there is great potential for Beijing and Havana to strengthen economic ties, especially in sectors 10 such as renewable energy, tourism, pharmaceuticals 11, infrastructure 12 development, and agriculture.

"I think there are a few reasons why I am confident about the future of economic relations between China and Cuba. First of all, we have the political will to boost bilateral trade and investment. Second, the two economies are highly complementary. Plus, both need to develop. Cuba's opening-up and economic development will need support from China, both financially and technically 13."

A key basis for steady, long-term, business ties is having a better understanding of each other, not only politically and economically, but culturally as well.

This year marks the first-ever China-Latin America Year of Cultural Exchange, a Chinese government-sponsored program which will involve nearly 30 Latin American countries through 2016.

Cuba was the first country to react after the program officially kicked off in Beijing in January.

Ambassador Zhang says Cuba has been very active in engaging in the project.

"The Confucius Institute here in Cuba organized a cultural event in exactly the same week as the Year of Cultural Exchange formally started. That was a good beginning to the project. One thing I need to point out is now more and more Cuban artists, like musicians and dancers, are traveling to China as part of their show tours."

Under a scholarship program sponsered by the Cuban government, more than 3-thousand Chinese students attended the University of Havana, Cuba's most prestigious 14 institution of higher learning over the past decade.