06:15 | Sanya, China, Apr. 06 (ANDINA).
Peru and China on Saturday signed a number of agreements to expand bilateral cooperation in fields such as poverty alleviation, agriculture, education and small and medium enterprises.
The signing ceremony took place in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, in the presence of Presidents Xi Jinping and Ollanta Humala, who is on a five-day state visit to the Asian country.
The first agreement is a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (Midis) of Peru and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development of China on enhancing cooperation in the fight against poverty.
The goal is to build a relationship that contributes to the fight against this scourge in both countries, through the development of joint research projects and exchange of information and experiences.
Authorities from both countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Promotion of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Peru and China, with the aim of facilitating exports and imports by SMEs. The agreement provides for the exchange of information on production programs and new areas of business development.
Moreover, they inked a Framework Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation, for which the Chinese government will provide grants to finance development projects.
In the agriculture sector, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Agriculture of Peru and the Ministry of Agriculture of China on Cooperation in the Field of Research and Development in Science and Agricultural Technology.
The agreement calls for the creation of a Center for Research and Development in Agricultural Science and Technology in Peru, in order to cooperate both to the implementation and promotion of technologies and the implementation of a Comprehensive Cooperation Program that includes biodiversity research and conservation activities, with emphasis on the Andean quinoa and other grains.
Other agreements include a Phytosanitary Protocol for the Export of Peruvian Asparagus to China and a Memorandum of Understanding between the Chinese State Forestry Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture of Peru on cooperation in forest protection.
Meanwhile, in the cultural field, they signed the executive program for the Cultural Cooperation Agreement for the years 2013-2018, which includes the protection and recovery of cultural property, direct support to writers, artists, athletes and cultural organizations in both countries, as well as cooperation between the countries' national libraries through exchange of information and professionals.
They also signed a Framework Agreement on Institutional Cooperation between Peru's General Archive of the Nation and the State Archives Administration of China, through which the parties will provide mutual technical support, organize joint exhibitions of historical material and exchange copies of files and public documents.
In the field of education, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Ministries of Education of Peru and China, through which the Chinese government will offer 50 scholarships annually for Peruvian students.
Also, both parties will encourage academic exchanges between universities and institutes and promote Chinese language teaching in Peru. In this framework, China's Hebei Normal University established the Center for Peruvian Studies in China in cooperation with the Lima-based Ricardo Palma University.
Finally, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Institute of Civil Defense (INDECI) and the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China, which includes a feasibility study on the proposed Emergency Operations Center of Peru.
(END) NDP/GCO/EEP
Published: 4/6/2013