Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay state visits to Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and Mexico from May 31 to June 6, the foreign ministry announced on Tuesday.

Hong Lei, foreign ministry spokesperson, told a press briefing on Tuesday that they will be the first state visits to Latin America and the Caribbean by Xi.

Hong said Xi's visit to Trinidad and Tobago will be the first visit to an English-speaking Caribbean country by Chinese president, and that the country is an important partner of China in the region.

Regarding Costa Rica, Hong said it is the only country in continental Central America that has established diplomatic ties with China.

Hong noted that Mexico is an important emerging economy and is also China's strategic partner.

Yang Zhimin, a researcher with the Institute of Latin American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the three countries had been carefully picked, to ensure they covered the Caribbean, Central America and North America.

"Latin America groups developing countries, which play critical roles in the UN, APEC and G20. They will be a source of support for China in the future," he said.