Peru issues stamps, postmarks to celebrate ties with China

Peru Tuesday issued two new series of stamps and postmarks to celebrate its longstanding ties with China.

The first series features images of Beijing's Temple of Heaven and Peru's Inca city of Machu Picchu, along with the words "Youyi" and "Khumpa," which mean friendship in Chinese and Quechua respectively.

"It is the fruit of Peruvian-Chinese friendship, highlighting 45 years of diplomatic ties," Eduardo Yong, president of the Peruvian-Chinese Cultural Institute, said during the presentation of the series at the Peruvian postal service.

The other series features Peru's unique Chinese-influenced cuisine, reflecting "the fusion, the sisterhood of Peruvian and Chinese cultures in gastronomy and cooking," said Yong.

The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1971, but their relationship dates back to the 17th century, when Chinese traders and workers arrived in Peru aboard ships that sailed between East Asia and what was then known as New Spain.

Today, Peruvians of Chinese descent constitute an estimated 4 to 5 percent of the whole population.