HAVANA - Vice-President Xi Jinping met Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro in the Cuban capital on Monday.

"You are the founder of Cuba's revolutionary and socialist cause and are dearly loved by the Cuban people and respected by the Chinese people," Xi told 85-year-old Castro.

Xi spoke highly of the continuous consolidation and expansion of Sino-Cuban relations, saying the two countries had become trustworthy friends, comrades and partners.