Above: China President Xi Xinping

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Miguel Diaz-Canel, the first vice president of Cuba’s Councils of State and Ministers, continued his China trip Tuesday with a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The meeting followed talks Monday between Diaz-Canel and China’s Vice President, Li Yuanchao.

Xi visited the Caribbean at the beginning of June, pledging nearly $3 billion in loans to the region.

Diaz-Canel began an official visit to China on June 17. His Asian tour includes stops in Vietnam and Laos, leading a delegation including Leonardo Andollo, member of the Central Committee of Cuba’s Community Party and Deputy Foreign Minister Rogelio Sierra, according to a government statement.

Diaz-Canel, a former Minister of Higher Education, was elected as First Vice President in February.

He is seen by many as a potential successor to current Cuban leader Raul Castro, who has announced plans to leave office at the expiration of his term in 2018.