Latin America's leaders are gearing up for the eighth Summit of the Americas in Peru. But, there will be two noticeable absences: US President Donald Trump, and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. CGTN's Dan Collyns reports from Lima.  

Striking the balance at such a big gathering of regional heads of state isn't easy. But the absence of the two most controversial leaders in the hemisphere may have eased tensions. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro was uninvited by the host country Peru. And this week, U.S. President Donald Trump canceled his first official trip to Latin America. White House aides said Trump bowed out to monitor the crisis in Syria and Vice President Mike Pence will take his place.

It came just a week after the US had urged its southern neighbors to put it first on trade. That and the ongoing trade conflict between the US and China could be point of discord, said China's ambassador to Peru.

JIA GUIDE CHINA'S AMBASSADOR TO PERU "This issue must be analyzed from two points of view, the micro and the macro. If China doesn't care about commodities coming from the United States, it would have to import from other countries. And so disputes between China and the United States bring possibilities for Latin American countries. However, from the macro point of view, the essence of the disputes between the first and second largest economies of the world consists of complying or not with international rules for multilateral commerce. If some damage has been caused to a multilateral mechanism, it will affect all the interests throughout the world."

In 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to invest $250 billion in the region over the next ten years. It's no surprise that Latin America leaders are embracing relations with China, says one analyst at Lima's Pacific University.

CYNTHIA SANBORN VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH, UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC IN LIMA "I don't think it's the role of the United States to try to tell Latin America what it should and shouldn't do in terms of trade policy, especially when the U.S. is experimenting this reversal in terms of its free trade around the world. There may be more opportunities for us due to the tensions between the US and China but everything indicates that those tensions are going to be reduced because of the actions of China."

This summit will also focus on issues closer to home, such as the region's biggest ever corruption scandal which is toppling politicians and business tycoons alike.

A criminal investigation shows Brazilian firm Odebrecht paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes throughout the region.

Last month, Peru appointed a new president after Pedro Pablo Kuczynski abruptly resigned over graft allegations. Across the region, citizens have had enough of the scandals but the culture of corruption has left its mark on the sprawling city.

Overlooking the bay of Lima, for many, this statue is a monument to graft.

DAN COLLYNS​ ​​​​​​LIMA "Rather than a symbol of faith this copy of Brazil's iconic Corcovado statue has become known as the Christ of corruption. It was paid for by a former Peruvian president and the scandal-ridden firm Odebrecht."

The summit could be a chance for the assembled leaders to think on their sins Dan Collyns, CGTN, Lima.