A Chinese naval hospital ship carrying 118 medical professionals docked outside the Peruvian capital of Lima on Dec. 21 for a week-long service stay.

This is the first time the ship, called the Peace Ark, has made a South American stop, The Associated Press reports.

The arrival of the 500-bed Peace Ark is a sign of China’s growing influence in the region, as well as its economic ties to Peru.

Prior to making port in Peru, the ship made stops in Australia, Mexico, Barbados, Grenada and the United States.

During its seven-day stay in Peru, the medics aboard the 756-foot long ship are expected to perform 2,000 free medical procedures.

Anibal Velasquez, the Peruvian Health minister, spoke of the timeliness of the goodwill effort at a ceremony, wherein she stood alongside China's ambassador to Peru.

"We're very thankful because during this holiday season they're going to give the gift of health care," Velasquez said.

Chinese outreach to Latin America is a relatively recent occurrence and has coincided with the country’s demand for Latin America's natural resources. According to the United Nations, China has become the world's largest consumer of primary materials.

As The Atlantic reports, in 2010 a group of Chinese mining companies, including Minmetals, Chinalco, and Zijing Mining Group, announced plans to invest more than $7 billion in Peruvian mining projects by 2017.

After meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, Peruvian President Ollanta Humala spoke optimistically about the future of Chinese-Peruvian relations.

“For us, China is today a major trading partner and we believe that, as the events are developing, Peru may be the primary center of Chinese investment in Latin America,” Humala said.

Chinese mining projects, however, have sometimes been met with protests from Peruvian demonstrators who fear environmental damage.

As the BBC reports, in 2015 an estimated 15,000 people took part in protests against a Minmetals Corporation copper mining project set in the Apurimac region.