Peru seeks to bolster strategic ties with China

LIMA -- Peruvian President Ollanta Humala said Wednesday his government will seek to strengthen strategic ties with China as the Asian country is playing an increasingly significant role on the world stage.

"Today, China has become a giant and we want to walk alongside the giant. We are aware of the importance China means for us," Humala told Xinhua in an interview before departing for his first state visit to China since taking office in July 2011.

Humala, who will also attend the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) later this week in China's southern coastal city of Sanya, voiced the hope that his China tour could strengthen and energize Peru-China ties.

He predicted that the BFA would be as important as the World Economic Forum in Davos, given China's growing prominence on the world stage, saying that Peru would be actively involved in such activities initiated and sponsored by the Chinese government.

The Peruvian president said the relationship between Lima and Beijing has a long history and has in recent years witnessed several milestones, such as the establishment of Peru-China strategic partnership in 2008 and the signing of a free trade agreement in 2009.

China is "an inexhaustible market" that has become the biggest buyer of Peruvian products, a leading investor and trade partner for several Latin American countries, Humala said.

He welcomed more qualified Chinese companies to invest in his country's infrastructure, tourism and various sectors of the service industry.

China could also play a part to help Peru speed up its industrialization process via technology transfer and professional training, Humala said.

Asia and Latin America are the first regions to get out of the shadows of the global economic crisis that is still going on in the United States and European countries, he noted.

Such realities call for closer cooperation between countries in the two regions, Humala said, adding that efforts should be made to enhance mutual understanding and expand mutually beneficial cooperation.