Argentina's foreign minister headed a large trade delegation that will travel Tuesday to China, a large and growing source of foreign investment and trade in the South America's second largest country.

Hector Timerman, who departed Tuesday, will be in Beijing Thursday and Friday on an official visit that will include meetings with his Chinese counter part Yang Jiechi and Vice President Xi Jinping.

China has been expanding its presence in Latin America and in Argentina invested 15 billion dollars in the countries rail, mining, energy and finance sectors between 2009 and 2010, International Trade Secretary Luis Kreckler said.

At the same time, trade between the Asian giant and Argentina increased by 65 percent last year, to 13 billion dollars, with Argentina running a slight deficit.

Kreckler said 40 business executives were taking part in the trade mission, which will promote Argentine products and services and make pitches for Chinese investments.

Argentina is one of the world's biggest food producers and the biggest exporter of soy oil, with two billion dollars in sales to China in 2008.

Relations between Beijing and Buenos Aires suffered a setback in 2009 when the government of President Cristina Kirchner slapped limits on imports of appliances and textiles, prompting China to suspend soy oil purchases from Argentina.

But Kirchner made an official visit to China in mid 2010, and bilateral trade that year reached 13.4 billion dollars with Argentina posting a 1.8 billion dollar trade deficit with China.

China's recent investments in Argentina include the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China's 600 million dollar acquisition of 80 percent of the Argentine subsidiary of the South Africa-based Standard Bank.

Another Chinese giant in Argentina is the state-owned Heilongjiang Beidahuang, which has invested 1.5 billion dollars in irrigation and infrastructure for grain production on 330,000 hectares (815,450 acres) of land in southern Rio Negro province.

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