China, Peru 'working for common development'

Xi says it's only natural that the two countries should push forward all-around cooperation

Peru will have "China's full support and cooperation" in achieving positive results with the upcoming APEC leaders meeting in its capital, President Xi Jinping wrote in an article ahead of his state visit to the country.

In the article published in Peru's El Comercio newspaper on Thursday, Xi said the presidents of China and Peru will have exchanged visits in less than two months by the time of his visit, which "will send a strong signal of China and Peru working together for common development".

He also called for the two countries to conceive and implement a well-structured plan to guide pragmatic bilateral cooperation in the coming years and suggested intensifying production capacity and investment cooperation.

Xi will attend the APEC meeting in Lima this weekend and make a state visit to Peru on the second leg of his three-country, weeklong trip to South America.

"We are ready to provide Peru with all the equipment and technology it needs for industrialization, supported by personnel training and matching funds," Xi said.

China also welcomes more Peruvian students to study in China and supports more youth exchanges to pass on our traditional friendship to the next generation, Xi said.

Nearly one-tenth of Peruvians have Chinese ancestry, something the Chinese president regards as "a valuable asset" shared by the two countries. Chinese are called by an affectionate nickname in Peru: paisanos (old pals).

"I believe that the tremendous progress and strong momentum in China-Peru ties is attributable to the extensive public support for our friendship, to our enormous economic complementarity and enthusiasm toward cooperation and to the right decision of successive governments of both countries to place high importance on this relationship," Xi said.

"It is only natural that we should push forward all-around cooperation," the president said.

Juan Carlos Capunay, Peruvian ambassador to China, said "Peru is the only country that has signed a free trade agreement, established a comprehensive strategic partnership, as well as setting up dialogue and a committee for discussions with China".

Capunay said he believes that the three instruments are the basis when China handles relationship with other countries.

It is the right time for Peru and China to further promote their economic ties to higher level, said Fernando Gonzalez, a Peruvian economist and director of the APEC Studies Center.

Xinhua contributed to this story.