在南美洲，特朗普已經輸掉了與中國的貿易戰 (2/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

In South America, Trump already losing a trade battle with China (2/2)

Mon, November 11, 2024 at 6:05 p.m. GMT+8·5 min read

By Marco Aquino and Eduardo Baptista

(continue)

'SINGAPORE OF LATIN AMERICA'

A beacon of the change is a new megaport 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Lima in Chancay. It is being built by China's state-owned Cosco Shipping and promises to shorten sea routes to Asia both for Peruvian and Brazilian goods.

The Chinese-controlled port, set to be inaugurated by Xi when he is in Peru, has sparked concern from the United States over regional security, but more importantly will turbocharge the region's trade highway to China.

"We will have direct routes to Asia, particularly to ports in China, which will be cut by 10, 15, 20 days depending on the route," Peruvian Minister of Transport and Communications, Raul Perez Reyes, told Reuters at the port.

He added that it would compete with Mexico's Port of Manzanillo and eventually Long Beach in California.

"Our aim is to become the Singapore of Latin America."

The Pacific coast port is leading to other investments to boost connectivity, especially for soy producers in Brazil, who are keen to cut down shipping costs and travel time to Asia, and avoid going through the Panama Canal to the north. Peru's government is pushing a potential $10 billion rail project.

That could see more Brazilian soy transported overland to Peru and then heading for China. Brazil has seen trade with the world's no. 2 economy skyrocket in recent years.

Most local officials and diplomats, however, strike a cautious tone. They say both China and the United States are key partners. But privately, they concede that China has given more concrete attention to Latin America.

"Peru is open to do business with all countries," said a senior Peruvian official on condition of anonymity. "What China does though is concentrate its investments in Latin America and Africa" which have the resources it needs, the official said.

He added that Peru hoped to sign an agreement during APEC with China to upgrade their 2009 free trade agreement, mainly related to intellectual property, electronic commerce and customs procedures.

'SIGNALS OF ENTHUSIASM'

Brazil's ambassador in Lima, Clemente Baena Soares, said the Chancay port would be a major boost for his country's soybean farmers, cutting almost in half journey times to Asia.

He called for Peru to ease red tape for Brazilian haulers such as load limits on highways linking the countries.

Jose Tam, president of the Peru-China Chamber of Commerce, said that China was being more proactive than others in South America, helping boost its trade and investment ties.

"China is sending the clearest signals of enthusiasm in the region," said Tam, who heads the association that includes large copper mines such as MMG Ltd's Las Bambas and Aluminum Corp's Chinalco.

Mario de las Casas, corporate affairs manager for Cosco Shipping, said Peru's pivot towards China wasn't political and it was open to investors from everywhere. The trend was purely business, with less U.S. investment on offer.

"Let the United States come to invest, it has not done so for many years," he said, adding that Peru was well positioned to benefit from any global trade tensions. "Here there are no good or bad guys, here there are only interests."

Translation

在南美洲，特朗普已經輸掉了與中國的貿易戰 (2/2)

（繼續）

“拉丁美洲的新加坡”

變革的希望例子是位於利馬以北 80 公里（50 英里）的Chancay的一個新的大型港口。它由中國國有企業中遠海運集團 (Cosco Shipping) 建造，承諾縮短秘魯和巴西貨物通往亞洲的海上航線。

這個由中國控制的港口將於習近平訪問秘魯時揭幕，引發了美國對區域安全的擔憂，但更重要的是，它將加速該地區通往中國的貿易高速通道。

秘魯交通和通訊部長Raul Perez Reyes在港口對路透社表示：「我們將開通直達亞洲的航線，特別是直達中國港口的航線，根據航線的不同，班期將縮短10 天、 15 天、20 天。

他補充說，它將與墨西哥的Manzanillo港競爭，並最終與加州的長灘競爭。

“我們的目標是成為拉丁美洲的新加坡。”

這個太平洋沿岸港口正在引發其他投資，以促進連通性，特別是對於巴西的大豆生產商來說，他們渴望降低前往亞洲的運輸成本和運輸時間，並避免通過在北面的巴拿馬運河。秘魯政府正在推動一項可能耗資 100 億美元的鐵路項目。

這可能會導致更多的巴西大豆通過陸路運輸到秘魯，然後運往中國。近年巴西與世界第2經濟體的貿易快速發展。

然而，大多數地方官員和外交官都表現出謹慎的態度。他們表示，中國和美國都是重要合作夥伴。但私下里，他們承認中國對拉丁美洲給予了更具體的關注。

一位不願透露姓名的秘魯高級官員表示:「秘魯對與所有國家做生意持開放態度」。這位官員表又示，“中國所做的是將投資集中在拉丁美洲和非洲”，這些地區擁有中國所需的資源。

他補充說，秘魯希望在APEC期間與中國簽署升級2009年自由貿易協定的協議，主要涉及智識產權、電子商務和海關程序。

“熱情的信號”

巴西駐利馬大使Clemente Baena Soares 表示，Chancay港將大大促進巴西大豆種植者的發展，將前往亞洲的行程時間縮短近一半。

他呼籲秘魯放寬對巴西運輸公司的繁文縟節，例如連接兩國的高速公路的載重限制。

秘魯中國商會會長Jose Tam表示，中國比南美洲其他國家更積極主動，幫助促進其貿易和投資關係。

Tam說: 「中國正在該地區發出最明確的熱情信號」。他是一個協會的首脑, 該協會的成員包括MMG Ltd 旗下的Las Bambas 和Aluminium Corp 旗下的Chinalco 等大型銅礦。

中遠海運集團企業事務經理Mario de las Casas表示，秘魯轉向中國並不是政治性的，它對世界各地的投資者開放。這一趨勢純粹是商業性的，美國的投資減少了。

他說：「讓美國來投資，它已經很多年沒有這樣做了。」他補充說，秘魯處於有利地位，可以從任何全球貿易緊張局勢中受益。 “這裡沒有好人或壞人，這裡只有利益。”

So, Peru as the world's no. 2 copper exporter now has a new mega port in Chancay. It is being built by China's state-owned Cosco Shipping and it will shorten sea routes to Asia both for Peruvian and Brazilian goods. It will provide direct sea routes to Asia, including ports in China, and the travelling time will be cut by 10, 15, 20 days depending on the route. Apparently, the US has to do more if it wants to counteract the presence of China in the region.