Peruvian President Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra on Thursday attended an investment forum in Shanghai, the second stop on her five-day state visit to China, to present business opportunities in her country, and strengthen economic cooperation with China.
She is also set to meet with authorities of Chinese shipping giant COSCO, the majority shareholder of Peru's Chancay port.
The mega port is a signature project under the Belt and Road Initiative in Latin America, and is expected to be inaugurated in November. Peruvian officials have said they believe the port will boost logistics, help lower shipping costs, and boost local socio-economic development.
Over the years, China and Peru have forged strong ties across many fields. China is Peru's largest trading partner while Peru is China's fourth-largest in Latin America.
Boluarte arrived in China on Tuesday to begin the state visit to the country at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the tech hub of Shenzhen being the first stop on her packed itinerary.
The Peruvian president will head for Suzhou Thursday afternoon. Later this week, she will hold talks with Xi in Beijing. Boluarte will also meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and China's top legislator Zhao Leji.
The visit marks Boluarte's first state visit to China since taking office in 2022.
Peruvian president’s China visit to boost economic cooperation
Central China's Henan Province has striven over the past more than ten years to build itself into a hinterland hub of reform and opening up through vigorous development of aviation logistics and cross-border trade, and with the adoption of a series of reform measures meant to improve the business environment.
In the provincial capital city of Zhengzhou, the Xinzheng International Airport has become the first in China to introduce an automated guided vehicle (AGV) smart application project. Acting on commands issued by the backstage, this groundbreaking project features 40 unmanned forklifts that effortlessly distribute goods to 1,284 standardized storage locations.
Within the sprawling 70,000-square-meter cargo terminal, a sophisticated intelligent system acts as the brain, automatically calculating the remaining storage capacity and providing early warnings for any potential irregularities in every corner. Beyond enhanced operational efficiency, the implementation of this intelligent system has also resulted in faster and more efficient outbound cargo shipments.
Notably, in May 2020, the Xinzheng International Airport became the sole pilot airport designated to operate air cargo e-freight in China on a trial basis.
The air cargo e-freight platform has revolutionized the industry by digitizing various air cargo documents and customs declarations. This seamless integration has created a comprehensive data chain, connecting foreign trade enterprises, freight forwarders, customs authorities and airlines within the aviation logistics operation chain.
Previously, the process of cargo security declarations used to involve cumbersome paperwork. But now, a single unified platform streamlines the procedure, eliminating the need for redundant submissions and multiple physical visits, effectively easing long-standing bottlenecks.
The adoption of such bold reform measures has significantly improved the business environment. Over 260 companies have already joined the e-freight platform, saving more than 1.5 million paper documents annually and increasing data transmission efficiency by over 20 percent.
As a result, the Xinzheng International Airport air cargo e-freight project was selected into the seventh batch of successful reform projects in China's national-level free trade zones, with plans for replication and nationwide promotion.
With over a decade of development, the Xinzheng International Airport has established more than 40 all-cargo routes, creating an extensive air cargo network that spans Europe, America and Asia, covering major global economic hubs.
Central China province strives to turn itself into hub of reform, opening up
