Peru is ready for a second round of talks for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with China, the Council of Ministers (PCM) announced Thursday.

The Peruvian ministry of foreign trade has requested the presence of Peru's Intellectual Property Institute (Indecopi) in the negotiations, it said.

"The participation of an Indecopi official in the negotiations is important because it will grant the technical support" for relevant issues at the talks, it added.

The first round of trade talks was held on January 20-24 in Peru's capital Lima. Peru has disagreed with China's proposal to exempt 5 percent of the tax for Peru's sectors considered sensitive in FTA talks, which include textile and footwear, among others.

(Xinhua News Agency February 29, 2008)