CHANCAY, Peru — A remote fishing town on the edge of Peru’s coastal desert, where a third of its residents have no running water, is being transformed into a fishing town. large deep water port To make money from the inevitable rise China’s interest in resource-rich South America.

The Chancay megaport, a $1.3 billion project mostly owned by Chinese shipping giant Cosco, is transforming this fishing-boat-bobbing outpost into a major node of the global economy. Chinese President Xi Jinping The port is opening on Thursday Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru.

The project, which is expected to include 15 docks and a major industrial park attracting more than $3.5 billion in investment over a decade, has met with skeptical reactions from poor villagers who say it deprives them of fishing water and provides no economic benefit to local people.

“Our fishing spots are no longer here. “Like the Roman emperor,” said 78-year-old fisherman Julius Caesar, pointing to the cranes on the harborside and destroying them. “I don’t blame the Chinese for trying to mine here. “I blame our government for not protecting us.”

The Peruvian government wants the port, 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Lima, to become a strategic transshipment hub for the region, opening a new line connecting South America to Asia and exporting Peru’s blueberries, Brazil’s soybeans and Chile’s He hopes that s copper will boost trade across the Pacific. among other exports. Officials say the port has the potential to generate millions of dollars in revenue and turn coastal cities into so-called special economic zones with tax breaks to encourage investment.

“We Peruvians focus primarily on the welfare of Peruvians,” Secretary of State Elmer Schialer told the Associated Press.

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

Locals said the dredging of the harbour, which sucked sediment from the seafloor to create a shipping channel 17 meters (56 feet) deep, was ruining fish breeding grounds.

“I’ve been on the water all day and I always need to go farther,” said Rafael Ávila, a 28-year-old fisherman with sand in his hair, who returned to shore empty-handed and exhausted.

“That used to be enough,” he said, pointing to his painted boot. “Now I need a bigger, more expensive boat to get to the fish.”

To make extra money, Ávila began offering occasional pleasure trips to selfie-taking visitors eager to see the massive Chinese ships.

Residents also fear the arrival of pollution and oil spills as some of the world’s largest container ships dock at the Port of Chancay in January 2025. One in 2022 Failed tanker delivery at La Pampilla refinery Thousands of barrels of crude oil recently spilled into Peru’s famously biodiverse waters, killing countless fish and animals. putting legions of fishermen out of work.

Today, a look at the moribund city center, with its mostly empty seafood restaurants, tells a story of dwindling fishing stocks and declining tourism, even if the port is not operational.

Locals said the harbor breakwater was changing currents and destroying good surf conditions, affecting everyone from ice vendors to truckers to restaurant owners. “No to Megaport” was spray-painted on a wall overlooking the beach.

“This port is a monster that came here to fuck us,” said 40-year-old Rosa Collantes, who was cleaning and gutting slimy drum fish on the shore. “People come to the port and say, ‘Wow, it’s amazing!’ they say. But they cannot see the truth.”

Port officials say they are aware of the stark contrast between the sleek, modern port and the surrounding village of Chancay. Many people here live on unpaved roads lined with shabby shacks and littered with garbage.

“You can’t build a state-of-the-art port and put next to it a city with no drinking water, no sewage, a crumbling hospital and an education center,” said Mario de las Casas, manager of Cosco in Chancay. He added that the company had already initiated studies to determine how the port could help reduce inequality and stimulate local growth.

“The port should not be a flaw,” De las Casas said.