Peruvian president to visit China

Peruvian President Alan Garcia Perez will visit China at the invitation of President Hu Jintao from March 18 to 21, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Qin said that top legislator Wu Bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao and Li Changchun, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC), along with Hu, were to meet Garcia respectively.

They will exchange views on China-Peru relations and international or regional issues of common concern.

Qin said China attached great importance to Garcia's state visit and believed it would further expand and deepen bilateral pragmatic cooperation in various fields and enhance the overall bilateral ties.

He said Peru was one of the earliest countries to establish diplomatic ties with China, noting the bilateral relations have been developing smoothly over the past 36 years.

The two countries formed an all-round cooperative partnership in 2005 and bilateral mutual high-level visits have been frequent, political mutual trust was increasing and bilateral economic and trade cooperation expanding. They have also been supportive of each other and kept sound cooperation in dealing with international affairs, Qin said.

"Peru is a good friend and good partner of China in South America."