In a Peruvian newspaper El Peruano an article titled "Let the ship of friendship between China and Peru set sail for a long voyage" by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is in Lima on a state visit to Peru to attend the 31st unofficial APEC Leaders' Meeting.
Below is the full text of the article:
The beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere is a time brimming with vitality and hope. At the invitation of President Dina Boluarte, I will soon visit the Republic of Peru and attend the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.
This is my second visit to Peru, China's "neighbour" across the Pacific Ocean, since I took office as President of the People's Republic of China. Peru is home to ancient civilizations such as the Caral, Chavín, Chimú and Inca. Peruvians fondly refer to the Chinese as the paisano. The Peruvian Congress has recently declared every 1st of February as the Peruvian-Chinese Fraternity Day. Chinese restaurants in Peru are called chifawhich is similar to the Chinese word chifanwhich means dining. Every time I came here I was impressed by the friendly disposition of the Peruvian people towards the Chinese.
This bond of friendship and affection is rooted in the wisdom of our ancient civilizations. The Chinese civilization is the only one in the world that has lasted continuously for more than 5,000 years. The maritime civilisation represented by the Caral and the continental civilisation represented by the Incas are proof of the time-honoured history, the profound richness and the great diversity of Peruvian civilisation. It is widely believed in archaeological communities in China and other countries that Chinese civilization and the civilization of the Americas were actually created by descendants of the same ancestors at different times and places. Through the wisdom of our civilizations, our minds find common ground and our hearts resonate. The Chinese have always regarded "sincerity as a fundamental principle" and "kindness as a fundamental virtue." The Incas believe in the rules of "don't steal, don't lie and don't be lazy". Peruvian thinker José Carlos Mariátegui he once said: "Spiritually and materially, China is closer to us than Europe. The psychology of our people is more Asian than Western." It is this "civilizational code" that explains the inseparable bond between immigrants of Chinese origin and the local population, which has been forged through seamless integration and kinship ties over the past 175 years. Recently, a documentary film entitled From the Great Wall to Machu Picchu. A number of popular Chinese film and television productions will also be screened in Peru, including 3 Body Problem. I hope they will help our Peruvian friends to learn more about China.
This bond of friendship and affection is a legacy that shines brightly throughout the ages in our history. Many have told me that the Chinese and Peruvian peoples feel an immediate warm bond when they first meet and experience a mutual appreciation of ancient artifacts déjà vu. For example, the Inca gold masks discovered in Peru bear a striking resemblance to the gold masks uncovered at the Sanxingdui archaeological site in China's Sichuan province. In fact, the Intihuatana stone on the altar at the ancient city of Machu Picchu, which the Incas used to mark the seasons and set calendars according to changes in the sun's shadow, was based on the same principle that inspired the creation of the sundial in ancient China. The inhabitants of the ancient kingdom of Shu in what is now the Chinese province of Sichuan expressed their respect for the sun and the sun god through the image of a soaring sun bird. The Inca civilisation expressed its sun cult in the same way. The desire for brightness was valued in both our cultures. Last year, the "Journey of Civilizations" exhibition arrived in Peru as part of its world tour. In China, the exhibitions "The Inca Celestial Journey of South American Continental Andean Culture" and "The Incas and Their Tawantinsuyu: Land of Four Quarters". These events are an immediate success among our peoples. The exhibition "Great Ancient Civilizations: China and Tawantinsuyu in Peru" is now jointly organized by the two countries in Peru. We cordially invite you to visit the exhibition to see the remarkable commonalities and connections between our wonderful civilizations.
Our friendship and affection have been strengthened by the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Peru. Peru was one of the first Latin American countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. For more than 50 years, our bilateral relations have been steadily developing. In particular, since the upgrading of our relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2013, our ties have strengthened and our results-oriented cooperation has been fruitful, bringing tangible benefits to our peoples. As part of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, China has sent a team of medical experts to Peru. We have also provided vaccines and other medical supplies to the best of our ability. Through concrete actions, we have shown that China is a trusted friend that Peru can rely on at crucial moments. Peru is the first Latin American country to sign a package of free trade agreements with China. It was also one of the first countries in Latin America to join the Belt and Road Initiative. China has been Peru's largest trading partner and largest export market for 10 consecutive years. Last year, Peru's exports to China accounted for 36 % of its total exports. Chinese enterprises have investments of approximately US$30 billion in Peru. The Las Bambas copper mine, a project with investment from Chinese enterprises, contributes approximately 1 % to Peru's GDP and creates tens of thousands of jobs. The Saúl Garrido Rosillo Hospital in Tumbes, a project implemented by Chinese enterprises, will serve more than 100,000 local inhabitants. A water project in three districts of Lima will give more than 400,000 people access to clean water and sanitation services.
An old Chinese proverb says: "The basic principle of governance is to benefit the people." There is also a Peruvian proverb: "The voice of the people is the voice of God." Both China and Peru are striving for a better life for the people. We must build on our traditional friendship to broaden and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas and to make it more relevant to the demands of the new era. In July last year, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China approved a master plan for further deepening comprehensive reforms to accelerate China's modernization. This means new opportunities for Peru and the whole world and promises a bright future for mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Peru.
During my forthcoming visit, President Boluart and I will be attending the opening ceremony of the Port of Chancay by video link. This is not only an important project in the framework of the Belt and Road collaboration, but also the first smart port in South America. When completed, the first phase of the project will reduce the shipping time from Peru to China to 23 days, reducing logistics costs by at least 20 percent. It is expected to bring Peru annual revenues of $4.5 billion and create more than 8,000 direct jobs. The completion of the Port of Chancay will allow Peru to establish a multidimensional, diverse and efficient network of connections that will extend from the coast to the interior, from Peru to Latin America and on to the Caribbean. It will also help to build a new era Inca Trail, with the port of Chancay as its starting point, thus promoting the overall development and integration of the region. The port development plan also includes the establishment of an animal rescue service that will fulfil its social responsibility to rescue and protect penguins, seals and birds and to improve the environment in wetlands, beaches and habitats. It is therefore very important that we work together to ensure the success of the Port of Chancay from construction to operation, so that the route from Chancay to Shanghai will lead China, Peru and Latin America to common development and prosperity. China is also ready to launch more cooperation projects in Peru in the field of "small and beautiful" livelihoods, open more Luban workshops and centers for teaching Chinese language and vocational skills, and strengthen cooperation in vocational training. We will encourage Chinese companies to create more jobs and fulfil their social responsibilities in Peru, making our paisan friendship more tangible and beneficial.
Our two countries should stand up to the responsibilities of our time when it comes to mutual learning between civilizations. We should strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture, art, education, scientific research, tourism, youth, heritage protection, archaeology and other areas. We should take more measures to facilitate personnel exchanges in order to gain greater public support for our relations. We should strengthen cooperation within the Ancient Civilisations Forum. We should explore the creation of a global network for dialogue and cooperation between civilizations and promote exchanges and mutual learning. We should ensure that civilizations that differ in many ways complement each other and shine together, like the colorful pools of China's Jiuzhaigou and Peru's Maras salt terraces, and thus contribute more to the progress of human civilization.
APEC economic leaders will meet in Peru for the third time after the country successfully hosted the meetings in 2008 and 2016. The themes of all three meetings, ranging from "A New Commitment to Asia-Pacific Development" to "Quality Growth and Human Development" to this year's "Empower, Engage, Grow," demonstrate Peru's strong commitment to promoting an open Asia-Pacific economy and global economic growth. They also represent Lima's strong "voice" for openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. China firmly supports Peru's APEC chairmanship and will work closely with Peru to ensure a successful and productive meeting, strengthen Asia-Pacific cooperation with a "Lima imprint", and make new contributions to building an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future.
The world is undergoing a more rapid transformation than we have seen in the last hundred years. Humanity is once again at a crossroads in history. To fully appreciate the magnificence of the Nazca Lines, we must look at them from above, because at ground level their true splendour remains hidden from view.
To quote a Chinese poem: "Don't be afraid of the clouds blocking your view, for you are standing on the highest peak." China is ready to join Peru in adopting a broader vision and grasping the basic trends of our times from a long historical perspective, to push for genuine multilateralism, to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, to jointly implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, and to jointly build a community with a common future for mankind.
As our friends in Latin America often say, without courage one can never climb mountains or cross the sea. In this new historic moment, China is ready to work hand in hand with our Peruvian friends with one heart and one purpose, steering the ship of our friendship towards an even better future.
Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China
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