The Minister of Foreign Affairs of China and Peru, Wang Yi and Javier Gonzáles-Olaechea, respectively, held an interview in Beijing last Monday, April 29. In the dialogue, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the next APEC Summit to be held in Lima, among other key aspects, was addressed.
The representative of the Peruvian State also spoke with the vice president of the People’s Republic of China, Han Zheng. After both meetings, he told La República about the status of the negotiations to optimize the FTA.
Peru would sign an extension of the FTA with China at the end of the year, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
In a conference held this Tuesday, April 30 in Beijing, Javier Gonzáles-Olaechea, pointed out that Peru and China They would finalize the agreements for the optimization of their FTA before 2025.
“According to our projections, and informal assessments in the meetings held (with senior Chinese authorities), I think it is possible to think that at the end of this year we will have concluded the negotiations for a Improved Free Trade Agreement with China“, said.
During his presentation, he also highlighted the importance of the APEC Summit and asserted that this event will mark an important milestone in the history of relations between the South American country and the Asian giant.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Javier Gonzáles-Olaechea, reported on Peru’s business with China. Photo: Francisco Claros/La República
It is worth remembering that, at the beginning of April 2024, the Vice Minister of Foreign Trade, Teresa Mera, told the local press that the optimization of the FTA between Peru and China would be ready in the first half of the year and that the signing is expected to take place during the APEC 2024 Summit next November, which will be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping. “That is our aspiration,” she said.
Peru highlights the role of the port of Chancay and proposes to China to invest in the national automobile sector
On the other hand, the Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted that the port of Chancay will position Peru as a key country in trade between the Asian giant and South America.
“(The port) is the equidistant point between Chancay and Shanghai and saves, with new technologies, the greatest amount of navigation time. It is approximately 12 days, which means (that it will be possible) to do more and better business” , explained Javier Gonzáles-Olaechea.
Javier Gonzáles-Olaechea assured that the port of Chancay will position Peru as a port hub in South America. Photo: LR composition/Francisco Claros
This would also be a door to boost the automotive sector in Peru, as mentioned by the head of the RREE. Thus, he assured that he has invited Foreign Minister Wang Yi to have more Chinese companies in this sector invest in the country.
“I asked the Chinese chancellor why they are not thinking—since we have lithium, the gold of the future, or without it—to install high-tech automobile companies,” he said.
At another point in the conference, he spoke about the presence of Chinese companies in the control of electrical energy – through Enel and Luz del Sur – in Lima. The representative of the Peruvian State assured that he trusts that any problem that arises at any time will be solved without any of the parties being affected.
“I do not conceive the possibility that the China that seeks peace in the world is going to affect (at some point) the homes of the people of Lima. (…) It would be absolutely contradictory with the message, the Chinese project and initiative that it embraces Peru,” he concluded.
Source: Larepublica
Alia is a professional author and journalist, working at 247 news agency. She writes on various topics from economy news to general interest pieces, providing readers with relevant and informative content. With years of experience, she brings a unique perspective and in-depth analysis to her work.
