Chinese President Hu Jintao has arrived in Cuba as he continues his tour of Latin America.
Mr. Hu arrived in Havana Monday night after wrapping up a trip to Costa Rica.
Chinese officials said Mr. Hu will meet with Cuban leaders to discuss expanding relations between the two countries.
While in Costa Rica earlier in the day, the Chinese president and his Costa Rican counterpart, Oscar Arias, agreed to launch free trade talks in January with the goal of reaching an agreement by 2010.
They announced the deal following talks in Costa Rica's capital, San Jose.
Mr. Hu and Mr. Arias also signed 11 agreements involving cooperation in their economic and technological sectors.
Among them was a deal for China to help modernize Costa Rica's state-owned oil refinery. China also agreed to help Costa Rica build a sports stadium.
After departing Cuba, Mr. Hu is scheduled to visit Peru and Greece.
Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.
