A view of the Sol do Sert?o Renewable Energy Project in Oliveira dos Brejinhos, Brazil, one of the largest solar PV plants in Brazil, with high-tech modules supplied by Chinese firm LONGi Photo: Curtsey of LONGi

China and Latin America have great potential for cooperation in the green and new-energy sectors, as China's advanced new-energy technologies and products match the region's emerging need for clean energy and overall social and economic development, Chinese and Peruvian business leaders told the Global Times. 

As the Chinese leader's visit to Peru and Brazil further strengthens China-Latin America ties and boosts cooperation, many Chinese and Peruvian business leaders said that green development and new energy could be areas of close bilateral collaboration. 

"The Latin American market is a very exciting one," Li Zhenguo, founder and president of LONGi Green Energy, a world-leading solar technology company, told the Global Times on the sidelines of the APEC CEO Summit in Lima, adding that since entering the Latin American market in 2017, the company has seen rapid growth, with year-on-year growth expected to reach as high as 50 percent in 2024.  

Li noted that in addition to growing demand for new energy in traditional areas such as residential settings, there is also great room for cooperation in mining, which is a huge industry in Latin America. Specifically, Li said that LONGi's technologies and products could help mining operations reduce carbon emissions and improve efficiency. 

"Energy in Peru comes mainly from gas and hydroelectric facilities. We can move toward solar energy and wind power. Mainly the energy in Peru is from gas and it's cheaper. But there's a future in green energy," James Callao, president of the National Society of Industries of Peru, told the Global Times on the sidelines of the APEC meeting. 

Chinese and Peruvian business leaders said that the operation of the Chancay Port, a flagship project between China and Peru under the Belt and Road Initiative, could also help boost China-Latin America cooperation in the new-energy industry. 

Underscoring growing cooperation in the new-energy sector, at a grand opening ceremony on Thursday, a container ship, the M.V. COSCO SHIPPING PERU, which arrived from Shanghai, unloaded containers containing China's "new three" exports - electric vehicles, photovoltaic products and lithium-ion batteries, while another container ship, the M.V. XIN SHANGHAI, departed for Shanghai, carrying Peruvian agricultural products such as blueberries and avocados.

The Chancay Port is not only a good deep-water port, but also the first smart port and green port in South America. The port will boost China-Peru ties and become a gateway that connects land and sea, Asia and Latin America.

Meanwhile, many major countries in Latin America, including Brazil and Chile, have set carbon reduction goals and have seen rapid growth in the clean energy industry, which translates into massive potential for cooperation, according to Zhu Jiang, president of LONGi LATAM, said.

"With its fast growth trend in recent years, the Latin American market has become a focus for the global new-energy industry," Zhu told the Global Times on the sidelines of the APEC meeting, noting that there is great complementarity between China's new-energy industry and Latin America's growing market. 

"We export advanced technologies to Latin America, and they use our advanced technologies to promote local economic development and green energy transformation. Both parties benefit greatly," Zhu said. 

In addition to exporting new-energy products to Peru from China, there are also great opportunities for Chinese new-energy companies to invest in Peru, according to Julio Perez Alvan, president of Peruvian Association of Exporters.

"I know China is going to send new-energy products, but what we need also to do is to grow our manufacturing products and send them to China, which is very important for us because our industry also needs that kind of work," Perez Alvan told the Global Times on the sidelines of the APEC meeting, highlighting opportunities for Chinese businesses to invest in Peru.