China and Ecuador agreed to deepen cooperation in more areas during Chinese President Xi Jinping's phone conversation with Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso on Monday.

Hailing the fruitful results of bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, energy and mineral resources, finance and other traditional areas, Xi said Ecuador is an important partner of China in jointly building the Belt and Road. 

China is ready to increase imports from Ecuador, enhance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, foster new growth drivers in areas such as health, digital and green silk road, and deliver more fruits of practical cooperation for the benefit of the two peoples, he added. 

Noting the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Ecuador, Xi said the two countries should continue supporting each other to consolidate the traditional friendship and make China-Ecuador relations a benchmark for cooperation among developing countries. 

China will continue to provide support and assistance to Ecuador in its fight against the pandemic and carry out various forms of cooperation with Ecuador in anti-pandemic and vaccine resources, he said. 

For his part, Lasso thanked China for providing vaccines to his country, adding that China has been a crucial support to Ecuador in its fight against the epidemic. 

He stressed that Ecuador opposes any attempt to politicize or stigmatize the COVID-19 pandemic and he hopes to deepen vaccine cooperation with China. 

Ecuador regards China as its most important comprehensive strategic partner and welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest in Ecuador, he said.