Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Lima Wednesday for talks with his Peruvian counterpart, Alan Garcia, ahead of a Pacific Rim economic summit opening Saturday in Peru's capital.
The two leaders are expected to sign a free trade deal, which will be the second such accord that China has concluded in the region, following a similar agreement with Chile in 2005.
Peru is Mr. Hu's third stop in Latin America, following trips this week to Cuba and Costa Rica. Mr. Hu has been touring the region seeking to bolster economic and bilateral relations.
Later this week, Mr. Hu will attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, summit, which will involve leaders from 21 Pacific Rim countries. The meeting follows the recent G20 (Group of 20) summit in Washington of industrialized and developing countries on the global economic meltdown.
Other leaders have already embarked upon Latin America ahead of the APEC summit, including Vietnam's president. Nguyen Minh Triet is in Venezuela on a two-day visit to promote oil and gas trade and is expected to meet with President Hugo Chavez.
Peruvian authorities say they are increasing security ahead of the conference following the arrest of a man carrying 36 grenades on Sunday.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.