International trade

Peru in the world: regional leadership and strategic trade agreements

The Pacific-SouthAmericanCoast Hub

The country’s central location on the western coast of South America empowers its projection as a productive and commercial regional nucleus. Various ports, airports and a system of highways are being consolidated; their influence includes all from the coast of the Pacific to the Brazilian West, so that Peru will be prepared to serve as an efficient bridge between South American markets and the United States and Asia.  Peru is both a destination of foreign imports and capital and an exporter towards practically all regions of the world.

With strategic trade agreements

Peru enjoys special tariff preferences for the export of its products towards both the United States and the European Union. In order to assure this preferential access, a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has been signed with the United States; in coming months negotiations will begin with the European Union. It should be indicated that Peru belongs to Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), which facilitates the development of economic-trade cooperation mechanisms with 20 other powerful Pacific basin economies that form a part thereof.

In 2008 Peru will be the headquarters for APEC meetings. Peru has demonstrated a special dynamism in its efforts to develop trade agreements with economies belonging to APEC. In addition to the United States, it has been conducting negotiations to deepen economic supplementation agreements with Chile and Mexico, incorporating rules to liberalize commerce in services and investments. It is also negotiating FTAs with Thailand and Singapore. Peru is a member of the Andean Community of Nations, which includes more than 96 million inhabitants and a combined GDP of nearly US $ 245 billion.Peru has also subscribed economic supplementation agreements that include tariff preferences with most Latin American countries, including MERCOSUR.  

Finally, Peru has also subscribed agreements for the promotion and protection of investments (BIT) with 30 countries in Europe, Asia and America

World leaders that produce locally

There are numerous international groups from all regions of the world that maintain a presence in this country. It should be indicated that investment comes from both European (the largest portion provided by Spain and the United Kingdom) and North America countries (the United States, Canada and Mexico). In addition, there is an increasing trend among our South American neighbors to invest in Peru.

A sizable portion of these foreign investments relate to use of the country’s natural resources, providing public services, banking and tourism and infrastructure construction, within the framework of companies’ internationalization strategies. In the case of investments originating from Asia, Africa and Oceania, the most important are investments in mining, hydrocarbons and also large corporations providing machinery and electrical goods

Principal foreign companies in Peru