LIMA - PERU and China ratified an agreement on Monday to cooperate on criminal matters by sharing case files and identifying and locating lawbreakers in their respective territories, officials said.

Peruvian Foreign Minister Garcia Belaunde and Chinese Ambassador Gao Zhengyue signed a protocol putting the January 2005 agreement into effect.

'What we've accomplished by exchanging ratification instruments ... is moving to a new dimension in our relations with regards to cooperation in judicial matters,' Mr Belaunde said at the signing ceremony in his ministry.

He said Chinese-Peruvian relations were optimal, with room to expand in every direction.

China has been moving aggressively to strengthen relations with Latin American nations.

Vice President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Hui Liangyu are currently on a tour of Latin America that follows a landmark trip Chinese President Hu Jintao made to the region three months ago. -- AFP