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

Chinese President Xi Jinping has begun an official state visit, following the close of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on Sunday.

A welcoming ceremony is underway where Peruvian President Pedro Kuczynski will receive his Chinese counterpart.

Peru is the second leg of Xi's Latin America tour -- sandwiched between stops in Ecuador and Chile. Xi is expected to have talks with Kuczynski, and make a speech at the Peruvian Congress.

Peru and China forged diplomatic ties in 1971 and are now involved in a comprehensive strategic partnership. Their bilateral free-trade agreement took effect in 2010.

China is Peru's largest trading partner, and most important export destination. More than 170 Chinese firms are doing business there, and have invested about 14 billion US dollars.

Cultural relations are strong too -- people from both countries have been going back and forth for more than 400 years, and it's because of this that one in ten Peruvians are of Chinese descent.