Chinese, Peruvian presidents pledge to boost cooperation

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala in Brasilia, Brazil, July 16, 2014. (Xinhua/Liu Jiansheng)

BRASILIA, July 16 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met here Wednesday with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala and the two agreed to further promote cooperation between their countries.

China-Peru relations have witnessed positive progress, with bilateral cooperation picking up momentum at multiple levels and in various fields, since the two sides elevated their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Humala's visit to China in April 2013, Xi said.

China, Xi added, attaches strategic importance to its relations with Peru and is willing to maintain high-level contact as well as governmental, parliamentary, party-to-party and sub-national exchanges and cooperation with the South American country.

The Chinese president suggested that the two sides make full use of their cooperation mechanisms to actively push forward bilateral cooperation in such fields as energy, mining, agriculture and infrastructure construction, and strengthen people-to-people exchanges.

Beijing supports Lima in hosting the 20th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Xi added.

Stressing that China attaches great importance to the mutually beneficial cooperation in infrastructure construction with Latin American countries, Xi noted that China, Brazil and Peru will issue a joint statement later in the day on their cooperation in building a railway across the South American continent.

Xi proposed that the three countries set up a joint work group to navigate their cooperation in all related aspects, including the planning, design, construction and operation of the transcontinental rail.

China, he said, stands ready to maintain communication with Peru and Brazil on the railway project, which will run all the way from the Peruvian Pacific coast to the Brazilian Atlantic coast.