Peruvian President Dina Boluarte received a red carpet welcome from President Xi Jinping when they met on June 28, with military honors, enthusiastic greetings from Chinese children and all. She and her host Xi Jinping then discussed privately, followed by a signing ceremony where their ministers signed multiple agreements, largely focused on facets of cooperation on economic development. This was the first visit by a Peruvian President in eight years, and Boluarte’s first-ever trip to China.
Her visit began June 25 with meetings and visits in three cities (Shenzhen, Shanghai and Suzhou), and concluded in Beijing June 26-28, where she held separate meetings with Premier Li Qiang and the Chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee Zhao Leji, and the head of Cosco Shipping on June 27, before Friday’s meetings with President Xi, which concluded with a state banquet.
Negotiations on upgrading Peru’s earlier Free Trade Agreement with China reached a “substantial conclusion,” Chinese media reported after the two Presidents met. Memoranda of Understanding on a 2024-2029 Joint Action Plan, on the establishment of “strategic dialogue mechanism on economic cooperation,” and for cooperation on the digital economy were among the multiple agreements signed covering trade, customs, people-to-people exchanges, establishing a Peru-China Business Council representing private interests, among other matters.
