Xi calls for upgrading practical cooperation between China, Peru

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a grand welcome ceremony hosted by Peruvian President Dina Boluarte in Lima, Peru, Nov. 14, 2024. Xi on Thursday held talks with Boluarte in Lima. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

China and Peru should improve and upgrade practical cooperation and continuously elevate their comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights to better benefit the two peoples, said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

During talks with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, Xi noted that it is his third visit to Peru and the third time in one year that he had met with Boluarte, adding that many Peruvians gathered along the roadsides and waved their hands to greet him, making him feel the friendly sentiments of the Peruvian people towards the Chinese people.

China and Peru, both ancient civilizations, are endowed with wisdom and broad vision from their profound historical legacies, allowing them to clearly see the development direction of history, align with the trends of the times, and always adhere to equality, mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual learning, making China-Peru ties a model of solidarity and cooperation among countries of different sizes, systems, and cultures, he said.

Since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations 53 years ago, especially since his first state visit to the Latin American country in 2016, Xi noted that trade and investment cooperation between the two sides has grown rapidly under joint efforts, bringing tangible benefits to both peoples. The two sides should sum up experience, improve and upgrade practical cooperation and elevate the China-Peru comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights, so as to better benefit the two peoples, he said.

Xi called on the two sides to align their development strategies, dig deeper cooperation potential, create a new pattern of practical cooperation, strengthen trade and investment in parallel as "two wheels" driving both countries forward, advance traditional and emerging industries in parallel as "two wings" propelling them upward, and promote the integration of industrial and supply chains.

China is willing to further expand the import of high-quality specialty agricultural products from Peru, encourage competent Chinese enterprises to invest in Peru, and make due contributions to local development, he added.

Both sides should enhance cooperation in traditional areas such as minerals and energy, infrastructure, and transportation and communications, while also expanding cooperation in emerging sectors like digital economy, artificial intelligence, green shipping, electric vehicles, and the photovoltaic industry, he said, adding China stands ready to encourage Chinese enterprises to participate in Peru's infrastructure construction, promoting "hard connectivity" through infrastructure and "soft connectivity" through smart customs.

Chinese enterprises have overcome difficulties and completed the first phase of the Chancay Port project, fully demonstrating China's determination to engage in long-term strategic cooperation with Peru, Xi said, stressing China's willingness to work with Peru to fully leverage the location advantage of the Chancay Port, build a new land-sea corridor between China and Latin America with Chancay Port as a starting point, explore ways to establish a comprehensive, diversified, and efficient connectivity architecture that extends from coastal areas to inland areas, and from Peru to other Latin American countries, so as to promote the overall development and integration of Latin America and the Caribbean region.

He also mentioned that China supports the establishment of a sister-city relationship between the Chinese city of Suzhou and Chancay, is willing to exchange experience on industrial park construction with Peru, expand cooperation with Peru in such areas as cross-border services trade and e-commerce, and leverage cluster effects and synergies to generate more practical results to strengthen confidence in the long-term friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides.

China is also willing to establish local Luban Workshops and Chinese Language workshops in line with Peru's development needs and carry out vocational education cooperation to provide localized talents as well as intellectual and technical support for Peru, he said.

Xi stressed that the two sides should strengthen the exchange of governance experience, enhance strategic mutual trust, firmly support each other's core interests and major concerns, and deepen cooperation in such areas as combating corruption and illegal fishing.

He urged the two sides to shoulder the responsibility of the times of mutual learning among civilizations, advocate strengthening international dialogue among civilizations, and explore the establishment of a global network for dialogue and cooperation among civilizations.

The two sides should also strengthen the synergy of cultural policies and deepen exchanges and cooperation in culture, art, education and cultural heritage protection, he said, adding that China is willing to increase the number of scholarships for Peru, and raising hopes that young people of the two countries get to know each other and carry forward China-Peru friendship from generation to generation.

Noting that the Asia-Pacific economies are deeply integrated, Xi said that it serves the common interests of the Asia-Pacific family and the Global South to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, as well as maintain regional stability and prosperity.

Both China and Peru advocate multilateralism and oppose protectionism, he said, adding that China fully supports the work of Peru as the host of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, and is ready to work with all parties to ensure the success of the meeting and promote the building of an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future.

Xi said China is also willing to continue to strengthen communication and coordination with Peru under the framework of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum and make positive contributions to the development of the relationship between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries.

Boluarte, for her part, warmly welcomed Xi's visit. Noting that Peru and China are two ancient civilizations, she said that a large number of overseas Chinese have made positive contributions to Peru's national construction in history, and the two peoples enjoy profound friendship and are friendly brothers and friends.

China has long been Peru's most important trading partner, and cooperation in various fields has achieved fruitful results especially since the two sides carried out Belt and Road cooperation, which fully demonstrates the firm commitment of the two countries to pursuing mutually beneficial cooperation and common development, she noted.

During Xi's visit, the two sides signed a number of key cooperation agreements, including a protocol on upgrading the bilateral free trade agreement, which will effectively promote further development of bilateral economic and trade relations as well as cooperation in various fields, Boluarte said.

In particular, the opening of the Chancay Port makes "from Chancay to Shanghai" a reality and becomes an important bridge between Latin America and Asia as well as a key engine for Peru's economic growth, which will strongly promote more efficient and convenient connectivity and trade between Peru and other Latin American countries, as well as China and even Asia at large, and push for sustainable development of the two countries and other regional countries, Boluarte said.

The Peruvian side welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest in Peru and participate in cooperation projects in such crucial areas as infrastructure, resources and energy, and transportation, she added.

Boluarte reiterated Peru's firm adherence to the one-China principle, saying that Peru is willing to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation with China, and strengthen their youth and personnel exchanges.

The Peruvian president thanked China for its important and valuable support for Peru's hosting of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting. Peru adheres to multilateralism and looks forward to strengthening communication and coordination with China within APEC and other frameworks, so as to contribute to long-term peace, stability, development and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region, she said.

Boluarte noted that Xi's visit will surely become an important milestone in bilateral relations, open up a new chapter in the comprehensive strategic partnership between Peru and China, enable the two peoples to jointly build and enjoy a lasting and more prosperous future, and promote the building of a community with a shared future between the two countries.

After the talks, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of a plan for Belt and Road cooperation between the two countries and the protocol on upgrading the bilateral free trade agreement, as well as the exchange of a number of bilateral cooperation documents in economy and trade, industrial investment, industrial parks, education and green development. The two sides also issued a joint statement on deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi attended a welcome banquet hosted by Boluarte in the evening.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi and other Chinese officials took part in the events.