An advisor to the transition team Donald Trump suggested applying the 60% tariff on Chinese goods in the United States a all those products that pass through the new port of Chancayin Peru.
Mauricio Claver-Carone, who was also senior director for the Western Hemisphere on the White House National Security Council during the Republican’s first term, argued that this rate should be applied on products from both China and countries of South Americaas long as they use the new infrastructure promoted by the Beijing regime in the regionwith which it continues to increase its presence and dominance.
“Any product passing through Chancay or any Chinese-owned or controlled port in the region should be subject to a 60% tariff, as if the product were from China”he said this Saturday in an interview with Bloomberg.
The main reason why Claver-Carone is promoting this initiative, as he explained, is to avoid transhipmentthat is, the entry of goods from third countries into a territory to then be re-exported to the market at their final destination – in this case, the United States -, with lower tariffs than those that would be charged if they were direct shipments.
The measure also would discourage Latin American countries from approaching the Chinese regime and allowing them to build infrastructure in their territoriesa growing trend, as revealed in a UN report, which stated that the Asian giant dominates investment and trade in the regionby great advantage over other actors.
“It is a shot in the bow” for any country that partners in maritime infrastructure with the Asian giant, he explained in this regard.
These arguments are in line with Trump’s speech in recent months, in which he focused on accusing Beijing of manipulate trade rules in his favor, for what he promised exert greater pressure on the regime to “unbalance” the commercial relationship with the country. It should be noted, in any case, that this policy of “America First” unleashed a trade war during his first term.
This week, within the framework of his visit to Peru for the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), Xi Jinping He traveled to Chancay – a town 60 kilometers north of Lima – to inaugurate this mega project that, according to him, will allow connect this Latin American point with Shanghaiallowing reduce shipping times and logistics costs. In fact, the regime hopes that this direct route through the Pacific Ocean attract more than USD 3 billion in investments.
This ambitious project, controlled mostly by the Chinese state company COSCO Shipping, was inaugurated during a ceremony held last Thursday in which Xi Jinping and the Peruvian president participated In Boluarte.
However, the project generated concern in the United States, which not only saw it as a threat to your market but also for the regional security.
Laura J. Richardson, recently retired head of the Southern Command of the United States Department of Defense, said in an interview with the Financial Times that Chancay could host “of course” chinese navy warships following a “strategic plan that we have seen in other places.”
Also for Peru itself, the Chinese port could lead to a economic dependence with the Asian giant, which is located as the main destination and origin of Peruvian exports and imports. “It causes me concern because Peru’s commercial risk matrix, which is basically copper, could be compromised,” said economist Eduardo Recoba.
The port of Chancay is not an isolated case, but part of a series of strategic investments by China in Latin America. In Argentinathe space station in Neuquén has been criticized for its restricted use to the Chinese military. In Ecuadorthe construction of hydroelectric dams has generated tensions due to its environmental and social impact. Meanwhile, in Chile y Boliviamining operations to extract lithium have raised concerns about control of strategic resources.
These projects underscore how Beijing combines infrastructure and technology to consolidate its position as a preferred economic partner in the region, challenging the United States’ historical dominance in South America.
However, despite the differences with the Trump administration, this Saturday Xi Jinping expressed his willingness “to work with the new administration” of the future president of the United States to “maintain communication, expand cooperation and manage differences,” while his American counterpart, Joe Biden, expressed his hope that the bilateral competitive relationship “will not end in conflict.”
