Peruvians expressed solidarity with the Chinese people on Monday, a week after a powerful earthquake struck China's Sichuan province causing heavy casualties.
Peruvian President Alan Garcia visited the Chinese embassy here Monday to express his condolences to victims of the major earthquake and ordered a day of mourning across the country.
In Lima, flags at government and public buildings were put at half-mast and many people in the city told Xinhua about their deep sympathy for the Chinese victims.
"Peru and China have been brothers for almost 160 years, since the first immigrants arrived. In this moment of pain, we sympathize with China the same way it did with Peru following the earthquake that devastated our country in August 1997," said an official from Peru's Health Ministry.
A policeman said he felt as if the May 12 earthquake had shaken his own country, as Peru and China have shared their sorrows and joy for so long.
A young man here told Xinhua that he was moved by the spirit of the Chinese people in the fight against the disaster.
Visiting Dutch tourist Gianinna Koeman said he was "amazed by the mutual affection that Peru and China have."
In the Chinatown near downtown Lima, many people expressed their sympathies for the Chinese people.
A newspaper seller said many business people in Chinatown have relatives in China and they regret the deaths of hundreds of thousands in the earthquake, but they are also sure the Chinese people will overcome the crisis.
Source: Xinhua
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