APEC Stories: Chancay Port – A new maritime gateway to Asia

Editor's note: The 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Gyeongju, South Korea, from October 31 to November 1. CGTN's "APEC Stories" series will showcase cooperation and culture of 21 APEC economies through visual storytelling.

Launched in 2021, the construction of Chancay Port in Peru created a new maritime gateway to Asia and beyond, revitalizing the city's economy and strategic importance.

In ancient times, the Chancay civilization thrived along this coast, developing advanced agricultural systems and urban settlements in the Chancay and Chillon valleys. Today, with the rise of Chancay Port, this ancient landscape is undergoing a new transformation. The project reduced the sea shipping time from Peru to China to 23 days, lowering logistics expenses by at least 20 percent.

In the first half of 2025, cargo volume on the Chancay-Shanghai shipping route reached 78,000 tonnes, worth 1.72 billion yuan (about $240.76 million), according to Shanghai Customs. Chancay Port is emerging as the starting point of an "Inca Trail of the New Era" – a modern maritime link connecting Latin America with the Asia-Pacific region.