LIMA/BEIJING, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Neighbors across the Pacific
Xinhua News Agency reporters Zhao Kai, Xi Yue, and Zhu Yubo
About 80 kilometers north of Lima, the capital of Peru, a breakwater about 2.6 kilometers long stretches from the shore and encircles the port of Chancay.
The Chancay Port project is a China-Peru "Belt and Road" cooperation project, which will become a new hub port in Latin America and a gateway port to the Pacific Ocean after completion, which can greatly shorten the direct shipping time from Peru to Asia, and will also be connected to Lima directly by the Pan-American Highway through a tunnel, thereby greatly improving the level of national and regional connectivity and trade facilitation.
"Peru is China's 'neighbor' on the other side of the Pacific." President Xi Jinping once described China-Peruvian relations in this way, vividly illustrating the profound friendship between the two countries and the two peoples. In recent years, increasingly close economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges have continued to shorten the distance between China and Peru as two "friendly neighbors" across the ocean.
"For the benefit of Peru and the whole of Latin America"
On June 28, President Xi Jinping held talks with visiting Peruvian President Boluarte and pointed out that China and Peru "should work together to ensure that the port of Chankai is completed as scheduled and becomes a new land-sea corridor between China and Latin America, so that 'Chankai to Shanghai' will truly become a prosperous road to promote the common development of China and Peru."
"I have grown together with Chan Kai Gang!" Daniel Harez, a 27-year-old Peruvian youth, is already a "senior employee" of this important project. Hares started as a niche intern and is now a project engineering manager. "The construction of the port of Chancay will benefit Peru and the entire Latin American region, and this is the biggest incentive for me," he said. ”
According to David Gameiro, deputy manager of the project engineering department of the port of Chancay, "the port of Chancay will help Peru improve the efficiency of maritime transportation, deepen international trade cooperation with the Asian region, and will also play a role as a regional hub to drive the development of the overall logistics value chain in South America, resulting in a multiplier effect."
During his visit to China, President Boluarte also visited Shenzhen, Shanghai, Suzhou and other places, accompanied by a number of important Peruvian cabinet ministers and representatives of the business community.
In Shanghai, she praised COSCO SHIPPING Group's introduction of remote-controlled automated loading and unloading equipment and related communication technology in the construction of the Port of Chancay in Peru, and looked forward to building the Port into a low-carbon, green, digitally intelligent landmark port in South America.
From the highway connecting the Peruvian Andes to the rainforest, to the turntable of an overpass to improve urban mobility, to the Repatición photovoltaic power plant built in the desert, the practical cooperation between China and Peru has been steadily advancing in recent years, bringing tangible benefits to the local people.
On June 28, the two heads of state jointly signed a number of bilateral cooperation documents, and the two sides announced the substantial completion of negotiations on the upgrading of the free trade agreement. The China-Peru comprehensive strategic partnership has continued to reach new heights.
According to Carlos Aquino, director of the Center for Asian Studies at the National University of San Marcos in Peru, China and Peru are both developing countries with common aspirations for development, and China's new development concepts and emerging innovative technologies are benefiting developing countries, including Peru.
Contributing to sustainable development
Taking high-speed rail, riding smart electric vehicles, experiencing naked-eye 3D technology, and seeing surgical robots, President Boluarte paid special attention to China's scientific and technological development during his visit. "I was blown away by the technological progress in China, and I really wanted to bring two robots back from Shanghai."
In a meeting with President Xi Jinping on the 28th, President Boluarte said that he had personally experienced China's rapid development and scientific and technological progress, and also explored many areas that could expand cooperation in the future.
Not long ago, a team of green-painted electric vehicles appeared on the streets of Lima, the capital of Peru, attracting local media reports and public attention. The Peruvian Ludes company has launched a fleet of 62 electric vehicles from Chinese brands, including electric trucks, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles.
As Peru's largest power company, Ludes plans to expand its investment in green transportation. The company's general manager, Mario González, told reporters that it hopes to contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions in Peru by promoting electric vehicles and investing in photovoltaic and wind power generation. "In my cooperation with Chinese companies, I feel China's commitment to green and sustainable development goals," he said. ”
Peruvian Environment Minister Juan Carlos Castro said that the cooperation between Peru and China in the cause of green environmental protection is of great significance, China not only builds ports and operates photovoltaic power plants in Peru, but also brings green technology, these actions will help Peru achieve sustainable development and contribute to the fight against climate change.
Consolidate the foundation of public opinion
Clay vases depicting jaguar motifs, stone tablets carved with mythical creatures, and figurines made of metal...... The special exhibition "Children of the Sun: The Land of the Incas and the Four Directions of the Empire" at the Nanshan Museum in Shenzhen features 168 pieces (groups) of treasures from 14 museums in Peru, and has attracted nearly 200,000 visitors since its opening in April.
During his visit to Shenzhen, President Boluarte visited the exhibition. She said that both Peru and China have a long history and splendid culture, and such an exhibition in China opens a window for Chinese people to understand Peruvian civilization and builds a bridge for people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
China and Peru are both countries with ancient civilizations, and the friendship between the two countries has a long history, and the friendship between the two people is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Aquino said in the interview that it is very important for President Xi Jinping to put forward the Global Civilization Initiative, which calls on all countries to respect the diversity of civilizations and understand each civilization in an open and inclusive manner. It is exciting to see that the two countries are promoting practical cooperation in the field of cultural exchanges and tourism.
During the talks on the 28th, President Xi Jinping stressed that China is willing to provide more scholarships for young Peruvian students to come to China, strengthen cooperation in education, culture, tourism, youth, media and other fields, and lay a more solid foundation of public opinion for the development of bilateral relations.
In Peru, locals often affectionately refer to the Chinese as "fellow villagers." Peru is one of the Latin American countries where the largest number of Chinese people arrived and settled. At the end of May this year, the Peruvian Congress designated February 1, before and after the Spring Festival, as the "Peruvian-Chinese Friendship Day" to express recognition of the special contribution and value of Chinese immigrants.
In recent years, the Chinese language fever and the Chinese fever have been heating up in Peru. Cecilia Tello, director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Ricardo Parma Peru, said that the investment and cooperation of Chinese enterprises in Peru has greatly increased the demand for Chinese talents in Peru, and in the eyes of Peruvians, China's image is constantly enriched, not only representing ancient civilization, but also synonymous with development and progress. (Participating reporters: Zhang Yuan, Hao Yunfu, Li Muzi, Liang Xizhi, Wu Yu) (end)