Peruvian president to visit China to deepen bilateral ties, trade relations

China

Peruvian president to visit China to deepen bilateral ties, trade relations

2024-06-24 16:28 Last Updated At：18:27

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte will make a whirlwind visit to China from June 25 to 29, with stops in the capital of Beijing and the major port cities of Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Joining her will be government ministers looking to deepen ties with the Asian giant and business leaders searching for opportunities. Among these is Julio Perez Alvan, president of the Exporters Association (ADEX), Peru's business service provider.

"One of the visits will be to COSCO Shipping, the majority shareholder in the port of Chancay. The trip will consist of visiting three cities. Shenzhen is the first, known as the Silicon Valley of China," said Alvan.

President Boluarte's agenda for the trip to China also includes meetings with electric car firm BYD, Jinzhao Mining, and infrastructure group China Railway Construction.

Peru's Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen said on Monday that he hoped the president's trip would enable Peru to capture foreign capital after its economy sank into recession last year.

"We are confident that this visit will allow us to attract Chinese investment into the country in the near future. And we will naturally offer the splendid products of Peru," said Adrianzen.

The visit also comes as a deepwater shipping port just north of the Peruvian capital in Chancay nears completion. The vast mega port is set to become a hub between Asia and South America, but especially China and Peru.

The port is expected to be inaugurated in November, when the 2024 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will also be held in Peru.

Brazil has shown interest in the 3.5-billion-U.S.-dollars Chancay port to ship exports to Asia, which, in turn, could attract Chinese expertise in building infrastructure links. Analysts said Brazil would be able to cut shipping times by using the port on key exports, such as soybeans and meat that currently travel through the Panama Canal.

"This port probably will make Peru become a logistic hub for the trade of all of South America, because up until now, there is no direct link between, for example, Latin America and China," said Carlos Aquino Aquino Rodriguez, director of the Center for Asian Studies at the San Marcos National University in Lima.

After an economic downturn in 2023, Peru will welcome the trade and investment that the new port and the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will bring in November.

54th OAS General Assembly held in Asuncion, with focus on regional security

2024-06-29 22:29 Last Updated At：23:07

The 54th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) was held in Asuncion, Paraguay from Wednesday to Friday, with a focus on integration and security for the sustainable regional development.

Attending the assembly were representatives from OAS member states, 74 permanent observers and some civil society organizations.

Under the theme of "Integration and Security for the Sustainable Development of the Region," the delegations expressed their pleas for peace, democracy, equality and multilateral work among countries.

Hours before the opening ceremony in Asuncion, the situation in Bolivia, a neighboring country to Paraguay, was top on the agenda.

According to the Bolivian government, Gen. Juan Jose Zuniga on Wednesday led the attempted coup in Palacio Quemado, the government palace, which is located in Murillo Square in the city of La Paz, in a failed bid to oust President Luis Arce from office.

"We do have a very deep concern about the indigenous people in Bolivia, and hopefully this coup d'etat that didn't happen, that things go smoothly," said Clement Chartier, former president of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples.

The assembly also dedicated its statements to the improvement of democracy in Haiti and also to the promotion of human rights throughout the continent. A resolution was approved for continued efforts toward the immediate restoration of security, and the strengthening of humanitarian aid in Haiti.

Haiti has long suffered serious political and social crises, especially after then President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in 2021. There are around 200 armed gangs in the country disturbing the social order. The rise of armed gangs, the surge of violence incidents and the increase of lynching cases have forced Haitians to live in humanitarian disasters in terms of safety, health care and food supplies.