Peruvian President Ollanta Humala is planning to visit China in April where he will participate in a conference organized by the Boao Forum for Asia, according to Foreign Relations Minister Rafael Roncagliolo.
Roncagliolo is currently in China, where he has met with high-ranking government officials to discuss strengthening and expanding the range of ties between the two nations.
China and Peru already have a free trade agreement, which was signed in 2009. China is Peru’s biggest trade partner, as it buys many of the minerals that account for a large percentage of the Andean country’s exports. Chinese mining firms have also invested heavily in Peru in the last few years.
Roncgaliolo said earlier this week that he sees opportunities to strengthen ties in areas of education and culture, for example.
“Relations with China are going very well,” Roncgaliolo said, according to state news agency Andina. “China is our main trade partner and Peru is one of the countries of preference for Chinese investors in Latin America.”
Roncagliolo said he would like Peru to not only attract Chinese firms looking to exploit its natural resources, but also to invest in the transfer of technology in order to help strengthen Peru’s productive matrix.
“They could invest in infrastructure, communications, and advance agreements for the transfer of technology in areas such as defense, education and research,” Roncagliolo said.
