The Chinese president, Xi Jinping launched a diplomatic blitz in South America by making a large port in Peru, hoping to expand trade, give jobs, and influence the continent. They are seeking Latin Americas agricultural goods and metals, and this will help them get what they want. It was 1.3 billion dollars and made China the largest trading partner in many countries. The president will also attend the APEC summit Lima, where they strengthened their existing free trade agreement, and visit Rio De Janeiro and Brazil. The making of the port will amid trade tensions with Europe and create concerns about US tariffs on the port because of the Trump administration.
The port is a good way to facilitate trade between many countries, and benefiting China. They will gain access to many South American countries and become more powerful. They have access to Brazil and their resources, and various other countries that are full of resources, minerals, and elements. China is a powerful country already, and is a threat to the US. The US will probably do something about this under the Trump Administration, like put on tariffs or put in their military.
China will continue to fund the port to make it the most effective it can be to get the most resources and trade to gain power. South America is also getting benefits from this port and will use it to its full potential. The US might see this as a threat and might try to weaken its power. The US was also included in the same summits as China is and they will be competing powers.
Many alliances are made for each state’s benefits, in this case it is a trading port. Because humans tend to be selfish, they want power for their own state. The realist theory says that power is seen to be essential for a state’s security and survival. Economic power can be hard or soft power, either by persuasion or coercion, that China will try to do. They are acting on their national interest and participating in foreign affairs to gain their country more power.