A vessel loaded with over 30,000 tons of energy storage cabins, machinery vehicles and other equipment departs from Zhangjiagang in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province on September 18, 2025 to head for Chancay Port in Peru. Photo: VCG

Friday marks the first anniversary of the Chancay Port in Peru, a flagship project of Belt and Road cooperation between China and Peru. Since its inauguration a year ago, the new port has grown rapidly, achieving cumulative container throughput of 270,000 standard containers and handling around 1.36 million tons of bulk and general cargo, well above initial forecasts, People's Daily reported on Friday.

"Over the past year, Chancay Port has moved into full, efficient operation. With the port as a hub, a new land-sea corridor between China and Latin America is taking shape at an accelerated pace," Wan Min, president of COSCO Shipping, was quoted as saying.

With one-way China-Peru shipping time reduced to 23 days, cutting logistics costs by more than 20 percent, the Chancay-Shanghai import-export trade volume has achieved exponential growth over the past year, accelerating two-way cargo flows between Asia and Latin America and improving global trade efficiency.

The Chancay-Shanghai shipping route handled 154,000 tons of import and export cargo valued at 3.97 billion yuan ($559.37 million) during the first three quarters of this year, helping drive a 56.9 percent year-on-year surge in Shanghai's trade with Peru to 13.42 billion yuan, according to Shanghai Customs. 

In September 2025, a fast cargo shipping route from Zhangjiagang Port in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province to Chancay Port was launched, the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing local port authorities.

The route's flexible, multi-purpose vessels can carry exports such asgrinding balls and engineering vehicles, and support the import requirements of bulk commodities such as copper concentrate and iron ore, it said.

"Chancay Port, is an emerging key hub in South America, enabling Peru to better serve as a gateway for regional distribution, enhancing connectivity between Peru and other parts of Latin America," Song Wei, a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Friday. 

"Its inauguration, coupled with the launch of the direct Chancay-Shanghai shipping route, has deepened China-Peru maritime cooperation but also holds significant importance for enhancing connectivity between Asia and Latin America, providing robust support for boosting economic and trade activity between China and the region," Song said.

The new corridor continues to expand. In October, the Shanghai-Chancay route added new port calls, including Hai Phong, Vietnam to facilitate the rapid delivery of goods between Southeast Asia and Latin America, People's Daily reported.

Over the past year, Chancay Port has launched four regional route clusters, rapidly shaping a fast-growing network, centered on maritime routes and supported by land passages. Now, the port serves numerous Latin American countries including Mexico, Panama, and Colombia, and its role as a regional distribution hub continues to expand, the report said.