Peruvian president to travel to China at the end of June

Dina Boluarte is to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping while trying to draw more investment to her country and addressing controversy over a belt-and-road project

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Peruvian President Dina Boluarte is scheduled to travel to China for the last week of June. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:21am, 6 Jun 2024Updated: 3:13am, 7 Jun 2024

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte confirmed on Wednesday that she will be visiting China at the end of June on a trip to drum up more economic investment in her country.

During her visit, Boluarte also aims to address recent controversies related to the operation of the megaport in the Peruvian coastal city of Chancay, which is being built with Chinese financing.

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Peruvian president to visit China to discuss Belt and Road Initiative investment

Chinese leader Xi Jinping had invited Boluarte for a state visit earlier, but her acceptance had been held up because congressional approval in Peru was necessary. Boluarte, who replaced former president Pedro Castillo after his attempted coup d’état in December 2022, does not yet have a vice-president and requires legislative authorisation to leave the country.

The Peruvian congress approved the visit on Wednesday. According to the legislative resolution, Boluarte is to arrive in Hong Kong on June 25. From there, she will travel to Shenzhen to take part in a local art exhibition and meet with representatives from Huawei Technologies and BYD to seek investments.

The most significant part of the trip will be in Shanghai and Beijing. In Shanghai, Boluarte will host an event for business representatives to present investment opportunities in Peru; she is also expected to meet with officials from Cosco Shipping Port, the majority shareholder of the Chancay megaport.

An artist’s rendering of the port of Chancay in Peru, China’s most ambitious port project in Latin America. Image: Cosco Shipping

Financed under the Belt and Road Initiative for US$3.5 billion, the port is scheduled to open in November during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima and will serve as the main trade hub between South America and China.