Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has arrived in Havana. This follows his visit to U.N. Headquarters in New York City and then Canada.

CCTV America’s Michael Voss reports from Havana.

As the only communist country in the Western hemisphere, Cuba has long enjoyed strong ideological as well as commercial ties with China.

President Xi Jinping came there in 2014, while Cuba’s President Raul Castro and the island’s former leader, Fidel Castro, have both made state visits to Beijing.

Cuba may have restored diplomatic relations with its old enemy the United States, but its relationship with China remains as committed as ever.

China is Cuba’s main supplier of manufactured goods, from cars and buses to household electrical appliances.

Telecommunications is another key area of cooperation. The Chinese multinational Huawei is helping build Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the island and is also exporting its cellphones there.

And in a country where until now the only billboards were political, Huawei has become the first company allowed to openly advertise its products, albeit, only outside the international airport.

Arturo Lopez Levy on China–Cuba relations

For more on China–Cuba relations, CCTV America’s Susan Roberts spoke to Arturo Lopez Levy. He teaches in the political science department at the University of Texas. Also he’s Co-Author of “Raul Castro and the New Cuba”.