President Xi Jinping's third trip - the first time as president - to the Caribbean and Latin America, during which he will visit Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and Mexico, is expected to take the multilateral relationship to greater heights.

Speaking at the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago, in June 2011, Xi, then China's vice-president, had said that Beijing would continue broadening and deepening cooperation with the region to give the multilateral relationship "a fresh starting point and raise it to greater heights". Relations between China and the region have indeed gained momentum since then and new mechanisms and funds covering a wide range of areas have been proposed.

Set against increasing trade, which has made the region China's most dynamic trading partner, Xi's visit is important for at least two reasons.