China’s president will unveil a megaport in Peru, but locals say they’re being left out

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CHANCAY, Peru (AP) — On the edge of Peru’s coastal desert, a remote fishing town, where a third of the population has no running water, is being transformed into a massive deep-water port to capitalize on a continuing surge in Chinese interest in resource-rich South America.

The massive port of Chankai, a $1.3 billion project owned mostly by Chinese shipping giant COSCO, is turning this site of swaying fishing boats into an important node for the global economy. Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the port on Thursday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Peru.

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The project – which is expected to include 15 jetties and a large industrial park attracting more than $3.5 billion in investment over a decade – has received a skeptical response from poor villagers, who say it deprives them of fishing waters and brings no economic benefit to local people.

“Our fishing spots are no longer here. They destroyed these ships, like the emperor of Rome,” said 78-year-old fisherman Julius Caesar, pointing to the cranes on the dock. “I don’t blame the Chinese for trying to excavate this place with all their might.” What he deserves. “I blame our government for not protecting us.”

The Peruvian government hopes that the port, located 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Lima, will become a strategic shipping hub in the region, opening a new line linking South America to Asia and accelerating the trans-Pacific trade of Peruvian cranberries, Brazilian soybeans and Chile’s copper. Among other exports. Officials point to the port’s ability to generate millions of dollars in revenue and turn coastal cities into so-called special economic zones with tax breaks to attract investment.

“We Peruvians are primarily focused on the well-being of Peruvians,” Secretary of State Elmer Schialer told The Associated Press.

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But many of Cancay’s 60,000 residents are not convinced. Fishermen returning to port with smaller catches complain that they have already lost.

Locals said the dredging of the port, which sucked sediment from the seabed to create a 17-meter (56-foot) deep shipping channel, had destroyed fish breeding areas.

“I’ve been in the water all day and I always need to venture further,” said Rafael Avila, a 28-year-old fisherman with sand in his hair and returning to shore empty-handed and exhausted.

“That was enough,” he said, pointing to his colorful boat. “Now I need a bigger, more expensive boat to get to the fish.”

To make extra money, Avila began offering occasional fun tours for selfie-taking visitors who wanted to catch a glimpse of the massive Chinese ships.

With some of the world’s largest container ships arriving at Cancai Port in January 2025, residents also fear pollution and oil spills. In 2022, a botched tanker delivery at the nearby La Bambila refinery spilled thousands of barrels of crude oil into Peru’s biodiverse waters, killing countless fish and putting hordes of fishermen out of work.

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Today, a glance at the dying downtown, which houses mostly empty seafood restaurants, tells a story of dwindling fishing stocks and the destruction of tourism even without a functioning port.

Locals said the port’s breakwater changed currents and destroyed good surfing conditions, affecting everyone from ice sellers to truck drivers to restaurant owners. The phrase “No to the mega port” was painted on a wall overlooking the waterfront.

“This port is a monster that came here to spoil us,” said Rosa Collantes, 40, as she cleaned and filleted slimy drum fish on the beach. “People come to the port and say: ‘Wow, great!’ but they don’t see the reality.”

Port authorities say they recognize the stark contrast between the elegant, modern port and the surrounding village of Cancay, where many live on unpaved roads lined with rough shacks and strewn with rubbish.

“You cannot build a state-of-the-art port and have next to it a city with no drinking water, no sanitation, a collapsed hospital, and no educational centers,” said Mario de las Casas, COSCO’s director in Chancay. Adding that the company has already launched studies to determine how the port can help reduce inequality and stimulate local growth.

“The port should not be a disadvantage,” de las Casas said.

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