It's his first trip to South America since his investiture as Chinese Premier in 2013, but the government has high hopes that Li Keqiang's visit to the region will be fruitful.
The trip will take him across the continent, and it will be his longest trip yet. Premier Li is scheduled to visit six countries and seven cities in just 13 days.
President Xi Jinping also visited the region less than a year ago.
The visits are China's way of acknowledging Latin America's importance in international affairs, said Director Wu Hongying of the Latin American office of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.
"Latin America, which frequently weighs in on international affairs amid its rapid economic growth, has taken a significant role from serving as a 'backyard' of the U.S.," said Director Wu.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Premier Li is expected to discuss cooperation in several sectors such as finance, aerospace, infrastructure, technology, as well as emerging industries, during his South American trip. Li also aims to improve political trust, increase cultural exchanges, and promote industrial capacity cooperation.
"China will bring Latin American countries advanced expertise and equipment for manufacturing and infrastructure," shared Xu Shicheng, a research fellow from the Chinese Academy of Social Services.
Xu cited China's plans to provide equipment and trains for Rio de Janeiro's subway system in preparation for the 2016 Olympics, as an example.
It seems that China is not the only state that recognized Latin America's growing importance in international affairs. The U.S. and France, for example, have recently taken efforts to increase relations with the region.
"The U.S. and France improving their relations with the region is to some extent countering China's growing influence in Latin America," Wu Changsheng, former Chinese ambassador to Colombia, shared to the Global Times.
China is South America's second largest trading partner.