Chancay: the small Peruvian fishing village that is becoming a giant Chinese megaport

Not so long ago, Chancay was a quiet fishing and agricultural enclave on Peru’s central coast, frequented by tourists and visited by seasonal seabirds migrating to and from Canada and the United States.

Nothing would have led anyone to believe that this town of 63,400 inhabitants would soon be home to a megaport that would radically change its appearance and transform it into a key link in the trade between Latin America and China.

But that is exactly what is happening as Cosco Shipping Ports, a Chinese state-owned business giant, builds the Chancay Multipurpose Port Terminal. This colossal piece of infrastructure, 80 kilometers north of Lima, will be a new milestone for China’s presence and influence both in Peru and throughout Latin America.

The megaport is set to become one of the preferred points of departure for the raw materials the region exports to China – such as the copper and other minerals that Peru produces in abundance – while its size and planned volume of operations mean it is destined to become a hub for international trade. In fact, the scale is such that everything indicator points to Chancay becoming a critical point for shipments to China and Asia as a whole.

Peru has long been a very important partner for China, and China’s involvement has been welcomed there. This in turn has made Peru very attractive for Chinese investment.

Proof of this special relationship is that China is now the Andean country’s main trading partner, ahead of the United States, and the future port of Chancay is set to enhance this.

Written by: Ignacio Diez Canseco

*This article is informative and is not to be used as legal, economic, or commercial advice.

Source:?BBC