QUITO, Sept. 17-- Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa and visiting Chinese Science and Technology Minister Wan Gang on Thursday pledged to enhance bilateral cooperation in science and technology, scholarships and training.

Correa and Wan made the pledge at a meeting held on the sidelines of the first forum on scientific and technological innovation between China and 33 member states of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

"There is traditional and profound friendship between our two nations. There are already cooperations in the areas of health and communication technology, among others," Wan said at the forum.

China is also analyzing the possibility of helping Ecuador in the development of clean energy and agriculture research, Wan said.

Rene Ramirez, Ecuador's national secretary of the Secretariat for Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, said China has agreed to help build a 4G laboratory in Ecuador's Yachay City of Knowledge, an emblematic government project located in the Andean province of Imbabura.

Yachay, Ecuador's first planned city and research center, hopes to open a Confucius classroom for learning the Chinese language, and a Confucius Institute in the future, according to Ramirez.

"The China-CELAC-Ecuador relationship is getting stronger," said Ramirez at the forum.

The two-day forum that started Wednesday is the first of its kind held within the framework of the China-CELAC Forum. Participants discussed topics including national policies on technology and innovation; technology transfer; biodiversity and development; green science and technology for sustainable development.