Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with President of the Republic of Ecuador Daniel Roy-Gilchrist Noboa Azín, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged China and Ecuador to strengthen the alignment of development strategies and implement the cooperation plan to jointly build the Belt and Road.

The two sides should well implement cooperation projects in energy, minerals, infrastructure construction, finance and other fields, and actively explore cooperation in areas including the digital economy, green development, new energy and artificial intelligence, Xi said when holding talks with President of the Republic of Ecuador Daniel Roy-Gilchrist Noboa Azín in Beijing.■

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with President of the Republic of Ecuador Daniel Roy-Gilchrist Noboa Azín, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with President of the Republic of Ecuador Daniel Roy-Gilchrist Noboa Azín, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for President of the Republic of Ecuador Daniel Roy-Gilchrist Noboa Azín in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People prior to their talks in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 18, 2026. Xi held talks with Noboa, who is on a state visit to China, in Beijing on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)