Chancay: A New Gateway Connecting the Inca Trail and the Maritime Silk Road

Photo: Presidencia Perú Flickr.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte inaugurated the Chancay Port, a $3.5 billion project funded under China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Xi praised the port as “the birth of a new land-sea passage for a new era,” connecting “the great Inca trail and the maritime Silk Road.” The project marks a significant milestone in Sino-Peruvian cooperation, aiming to strengthen trade ties and drive economic growth in the region. Boluarte emphasized the port’s potential to boost Peru’s GDP by 1%, turning the country into a strategic trade hub for Asia and a key player in global commerce.

Parsifal D’Sola, Executive Director of the Andrés Bello Foundation (ABF), highlighted the port’s strategic importance, calling it “the perfect opportunity, with the perfect audience, with a friendly government, to make a big splash—not only in Peru and Latin America but globally.” He noted that the event coincided with favorable political and economic conditions in Peru and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, amplifying its global impact.

D’Sola also pointed out that China’s centralized foreign policy enables rapid engagement in infrastructure projects, a challenge for the U.S. in competing economically in South America. He warned that Washington’s confrontational approach, such as during Trump’s presidency, could “backfire” due to its limited leverage over South American countries. He added, “They might be able to exert some economic pressure on smaller countries in Central America, but I don’t think the US has enough leverage over South America.”

The inauguration also saw the signing of updated trade agreements between China and Peru, including provisions to enhance trade integration and the opening of China’s market to Peruvian meat exports. The port’s construction and inauguration symbolize China’s growing influence in Latin America while posing strategic challenges for the United States.

Main Source:

Xi Jinping hails Peru megaport as new era in China’s belt and road ambitions

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