Full coverage: Xi Visits Ecuador, Peru and Chile, Attends APEC Summit

The Chinese president is scheduled to pay a state visit to Peru and attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in the nation’s capital, Lima. During an interview before the high-profile event, Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski spoke highly of the achievements of his China visit in September, and expressed his expectations of meeting with Xi again.

China and Peru are ushering in a new historical era of cooperation based on their long-standing friendship, according to the Peruvian president. Peru is home to the largest number of overseas Chinese in Latin America, as Chinese immigrants arrived in the country as early as 1847.

“Chinese people have lived in Peru for more than 150 years and are exerting growing influence upon local communities. China and Peru established diplomatic relations 45 years ago. I am pleased that the two nations have formed close ties,” Kuczynski said.

The president’s visit to China in September was his first state visit after taking office. He said Peru should learn from the experiences of China, which has gained remarkable progress in recent years.

“China is the most important country in the Asia-Pacific region as well as the biggest market for Peru’s exports. It has become the engine for world economic growth. Of course, that’s why I have chosen China as my first stop as president,” Kuczynski said.

Peru is an important country in Latin America and one of the major destinations of China’s investment in mineral and petroleum resources. Currently, the two countries are expanding their cooperation in various fields.

“President Xi and I talked about cooperation in the mining industry. There are many Chinese investments in Peru's mining sector now. We also talked about cooperation in transportation and tourism. More cooperation in these areas is expected,” Kuczynski said.

The past few years have witnessed swift development in terms of economic cooperation between the two countries, with their bilateral relations upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2013. Now, China is Peru’s largest trade partner, export market and source of import.

Kuczynski envisions a broad prospect for bilateral cooperation, looking forward to exploring new areas for further cooperation to achieve a win-win outcome.

“We want to open up new markets, especially in agriculture, in China. We are also interested in scientific and technological development and we hope China will provide scholarship programs notably in engineering and science. In addition, cultural exchanges and cooperation in archaeology and climate change also mean a lot to us,” Kuczynski said.

The Peruvian president said he looks forward to meeting with Xi again and reaching more consensus in tackling challenges and enhancing cooperation during the APEC meeting.

“I think the meeting with President Xi for the second time is quite critical, in particular when the international economic architecture has changed and is brimming with uncertainties. Apparently, that will be a topic high on the agenda of the APEC meeting,” Kuczynski said.