BEIJING - China's President Xi Jinping met Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Monday, Chinese state media reported, a day after the Cuban leader signed cooperation documents with Xi's deputy at a trade fair.

Marrero comes to China as Cuba's economy, which is heavily dependent on food, fuel and other imports, is close to collapse, following a more than 50% decline in its export earnings, which are needed to purchase imports.

He was among half a dozen foreign dignitaries to attend the opening ceremony of the International Import Expo (CIIE) on Sunday in Shanghai, a week-long trade fair where countries and companies often strike deals resulting in the world's second-largest economy buying more of their wares.

Following a meeting between Marrero and China's Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the CIIE, Chinese and Cuban officials signed several unspecified cooperation documents, according to a summary of the meeting published in state media.

Cuban officials often laud relations with China as "outstanding" or "historic", and President Miguel Diaz-Canel told China's Xi on the sidelines of a BRICS Summit in Johannesburg in August that ties were at an "all-time high".

But analysts doubt China can take its relationship with the diplomatically isolated island much further nor do anything significant to support it, not least because Cuba lacks the means to pay back any loans that China might be willing to extend.

And yet, supporting Cuba could result in significant strategic and diplomatic dividends for China.

In June, reports surfaced that China had reached a deal with Cuba to establish an electronic eavesdropping facility on the island, which is about 100 miles away from the U.S. state of Florida.

China denied the report and denounced the U.S. government and media for releasing what it called inconsistent, false information. REUTERS