Chinese President Xi Jinping held a number of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from countries including Peru, Costa Rica and Chile on Wednesday in Brazil's capital city of Brasilia during his South America trip.

Xi said the China-Peru relationship has achieved positive progress since the two countries elevated their bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Peru President Ollanta Humala's visit last year.

China attaches high importance to developing China-Peru relations from a strategic perspective and is willing to maintain high-level communications and cooperation among governments, legislatures, political parties and local communities, Xi said.

Xi said the two sides should promote cooperation in energy, mining, agriculture and infrastructure construction, as well as strengthen cultural communications. China supports Peru's hosting of the 20th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Lima in December.

Xi proposed enhancing collaborations on infrastructure projects with Peru, Brazil and other countries in the region. He said the three countries would issue a joint statement later today on the railway project connecting Peru's Pacific coast to Brazil's Atlantic coast.

Highlighting the importance of Peru and other Latin American countries, Xi said China is willing to cooperate with members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean (CELAC) countries to establish the China-CELAC forum to advance overall cooperation with the region.

Humala said that Peru is willing to cooperate with China in this effort because it will benefit the people of all three countries.

Humala said China was an important partner for Peru and that their relationship with China was a priority in Peru's diplomatic strategy. Peru is willing to deepen political trust with China, strengthen cooperation in various fields and enlarge bilateral trade and investment, said Humla.

Peru is also willing to promote cultural and educational exchanges with China so that more young Peruvians could learn Chinese and come to understand the country, said Peru's president.

Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Magali Silva said on Tuesday in Beijing that Xi's participation in the sixth BRICS summit in Brazil was of great significance for Latin American countries.

China is now Peru's largest trade partner in the world. The trade amount between the two countries surpassed $14.6 billion in 2013, an increase of six percent over 2012.

Silva said the two countries complement each other economically because China has advantages in finance, science and technology and machinery while Peru is rich in natural resources and tourism.

"The two countries should seize the opportunity to further strategic cooperation and expand mutually beneficial, win-win endeavors," said Silva.

Xingqiang He, visiting scholar at the Center for International Governance Innovation in Canada and an associate professor at the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China's increasing collaboration on various projects with the region will lift China-Latin American relations to a new level.

"China focuses more on investment, especially infrastructure investment in railways, telecommunications and other projects, as well as investment in the banking sector, compared to its main goals of expansion of bilateral trade and investment in energy and natural resources, especially oil and natural gas in recent years," said He.

"This marks the beginning of the establishment of enhanced substantial relations with countries in South America," he added.

John Kirton, co-director of BRICS Research Group at the Munk School of Global Affairs in Canada, said Xi's style of being a "more open global leader" has a positive impact on China-Latin America relations.

"As a major global player China has a major impact on Latin America and it looks with hope to President Xi's leadership in reforming and opening China," said Kirton. "Everyone benefits from having another more open global leader."

Contact the writers at zhangfan@chinadailyusa.com or

yuweizhang@chinadailyusa.com.

(China Daily USA 07/17/2014 page3)