The rival influences of the United States and China

In a trench beside the Pan-American highway at Chancay, 65km (41 miles) north of Lima, boring machines dig a tunnel beneath a sand hill. Under its other slope, by the ocean, Chinese-made giant trucks deliver rubble to extend the land into deeper water, already partly enclosed by a breakwater. They are creating a new port able to take the world’s largest container ships. The $1.3bn first stage, due to be completed in 2024, involves four quays. The final plan calls for 15 quays and a large industrial park that would make Chancay the biggest port on the Pacific coast of South America, with the aim of becoming a trans-shipment centre for the region.