Residents relax and enjoy the beach under the sun, as cranes build Chancay Port in the background in Lima, Peru, on October 29, 2024. Photo: VCG Giant containers pile up at the newly developed Chancay Port, Chancay, Peru, on October 24, 2024. Photo: IC

The port opening in Chancay underscores China’s growing clout in a region that once looked primarily to the United States for economic opportunity.

China has made a $1.3 billion bet that a new port in Peru will boost access to South America’s agricultural bounty. Cashing in on the investment may be harder than expected.