BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping will next week begin a tour of Latin America, in which he will visit Ecuador, Peru and Chile, the foreign ministry announced on Wednesday in Beijing.

Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a press conference the tour will take place from Nov. 17 to Nov. 23.

The main focus of Xi’s tour will be the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Lima on Nov. 19-20.

Xi will travel to Peru on the invitation of his Peruvian counterpart, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who was in Beijing on an official visit in September, the spokesperson added.

Xi will begin his tour in Ecuador, diplomatic sources confirmed to EFE, which will be followed by visits to Peru and Chile.

Lu said Xi’s state visits to Ecuador and Chile are a result of invitations from his Ecuadorian and Chilean counterparts, Rafael Correa and Michelle Bachelet, respectively.

This will be Xi’s third Latin American tour since he took office three years ago.

In 2013, he visited Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States, and in 2014, he visited Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina and Cuba.

China is currently one of the largest trade partners of Latin America, and expects bilateral trade to reach $500 billion, and accumulated Chinese investment in the region to reach $250 billion in 10 years.