Who are the congressmen who traveled to China during the representation week and what is their agenda?

At least 15 congressmen, including senators and deputies from six groups, traveled to China at the invitation of Xi Jinping’s government. The delegation left on October 11 and plans to return on the 21st of this month.

The trip coincides with representation week, a period in which parliamentarians must travel to their regions. In October, this period began on Monday the 12th and will last until Friday the 16th.

Sources of Congress They told El Comercio that Beijing invited 17 parliamentarians, but two decided not to participate in the trip.

The same sources indicated that the invitation would also have included parliamentary advisors, including Miguel Ángel Vivanco Reyes, advisor to the second vice presidency of the Senate.

The senators who traveled are Víctor Cutipa (Together for Peru), Mirtha Vásquez (Now Nation) and Jorge Velásquez (Fuerza Popular).

Also Gustavo Segura, Diego Bazán and Félix Chang (Popular Renovation); Luis Jibaja, Jacqueline Tapullima and Ernesto Zunini (Together for Peru); Rossana Alayza (Good Government); Andrea Medina (Works); Freshman Buitrón Martínez (Now Nation); and César Vidaurre, John Valqui and Alexander Salas (Fuerza Popular).

Of the 15 legislators, only four have provided details about the trip: Senator Mirtha Vásquez and deputies Ernesto Zunini, Luis Jibaja and Rossana Alayza.

The visit will include institutional meetings and technical tours in Beijing, Guanaxi Zhuana Autonomous Region and Shanghai.

Both Rossana Alayza, Mirtha Vásquez and Luis Jibaja emphasized on their social networks that the visit has been promoted and financed by Beijing.

Alayza shared the agenda that the delegation will develop during its stay in the Asian giant and explained that it is divided into four axes: institutional cooperation; economy and innovation; disaster monitoring and prevention; and infrastructure and urban development.

For his part, in dialogue with El Comercio, deputy Ernesto Zunini highlighted that the delegation visited the Beijing Meteorological Center, where they learned about the Chinese experience in preventing natural disasters.

“They have shared with us their experience in the floods that occurred as a result of the FEN (El Niño phenomenon). They have 10 satellites working on it and an open platform that uses artificial intelligence to predict the behavior of the climate,” he highlighted.

“We also attended a meeting with the minister of the Department of Foreign Affairs, where they told us about the route and the strip and we discussed how we could be a regional logistics hub,” he said.

Likewise, he noted that they met with the Peruvian ambassador in Beijing, Carlos Vásquez Corrales, with whom they discussed the regulations for the entry of new Peruvian products to the Chinese market and international promotion events.

“There are expectations for the entry of some meat products and Andean cereals,” he noted.

Zunini affirmed that there are some senators who are looking at the possibility of returning sooner.

This newspaper tried to contact the rest of the parliamentarians that make up the delegation, but did not receive a response until the closing of this report.

Beijing and Guangxi

October 12-15

• Audiences with the vice president of the Standing Committee of the National Popular Assembly and minister of the International Department.
• Meeting with the main authorities of Guangxi.
• Visit to Panlong: community governance and neighborhood services.

Beijing and Guangxi and Shanghai

October 12-20

• Working meeting with representatives of the mining sector.
• Maozhushan: fight against poverty and rural revitalization.
• China-ASEAN Cooperation Center on Artificial Intelligence Applications in Nanning.
• Research and Development Center for technological innovation, in Shanghai.

Beijing

October 12 – 14

• China Meteorological Administration, to learn about the MAZU multi-risk early warning system and its application in disaster prevention and reduction. Additionally, explore possibilities for cooperation in meteorological monitoring and warning.

Guangxi and Shanghai

October 16 – 20

• Madao Lock Complex, Pinglu Canal: River Infrastructure and Connectivity.
• Yangshan Port: Smart Ports and Shipping.
• Meeting on the operation of the port of Chancay and port cooperation.
• Sanjie Liangxiang, in Nanning: conservation of historic neighborhoods and urban renewal.

In dialogue with El Comercio, parliamentary issues specialist Alejandro Rospigliosi said that “it was not the time to travel,” because Congress is going through a “special situation.”

“There is a special situation of approving or not the request for powers in the fight against citizen insecurity and the El Niño Phenomenon. So, it is a gesture of frivolity that tells us what will happen to these parliamentarians,” he indicated.

“Parliamentary diplomacy is important, but so is time, and this week was not the time (…) Parliamentary diplomacy yes, but parliamentary tourism no,” he remarked.

Finally, Rospigliosi questioned the trip in a context of low legislative production, marked by the small number of opinions approved in the Chamber of Deputies and laws in the Senate.