Chancay Port opens Inca Trail of New Era toward shared prosperity between China, Latin America

A NEW CORRIDOR ACROSS PACIFIC

The new maritime route has shortened Asia-bound shipping times from 33 days to just 23. "Since the inauguration of the Port of Chancay, we have been receiving an average of 400 containers per month from China," said Mayra Huillca, coordinator of the foreign trade department at Indurama, a company that imports Chinese-made home appliances for the Latin American market. "Currently, we sell 50 percent more than before."

Neighboring countries are also reaping benefits. Ecuador's banana exports to China jumped 45.56 percent in the first five months of 2025, according to the Ecuadorian Banana Marketing and Export Association (Acorbanec).

"The logistics aspect greatly helps Ecuadorian banana exports," said Acorbanec CEO Richard Salazar. "The presence of COSCO Shipping Lines has also made the route faster and more direct."

Where the ancient Inca Trail once connected much of South America by land, the Port of Chancay is forging a broader, modern land-sea corridor between Asia and Latin America.

Unlike the old imperial roads, which served mostly the elite, the Chancay Port is designed to benefit broader populations -- creating jobs, speeding trade, and positioning Peru as a regional logistics hub.

"This port, in my view, represents the renewal of the Inca Trail," said Luis Vasquez, president of the Foundation for the Development of Science and Culture at the National University of San Marcos in Lima.