Peru and China on Monday signed an agreement on judicial cooperation, the Peruvian Foreign Ministry said.

On Monday, the Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Garcia Belaunde and Chinese Ambassador to Peru Gao Zhengyue signed the "Minute of tool exchange for ratification of the Judicial Aid Agreement on Penal Issues."

Both countries promised to cooperate on issues like the delivery and notification of judicial documents, declarations or testimony taking, and the supplying of documents, files and evidence.

Belaunde said the agreement marked progress in the two countries' expansion of friendly ties in the dimension of judicial cooperation.

Belaunde said that Peru-China ties were strengthened after Chinese President Hu Jintao's official visit to Peru in November 2008 in the framework of the 16th Summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC).

"The Peru-China ties are rich, with variety and open to projects in all fields," Garcia Belaunde said.

For his part, Gao said that ties between China and Peru are those of "two brother countries".

(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2009)