In a recent report, China in Peru: The Hidden Costs of an Unequal Relationship, the United States Institute of Peace denounces the harm of Chinese expansion in Peru, particularly in the mining sector.
“The combination of a permissive political and legal environment in Peru, the poor social responsibility of Chinese companies and banks, and the absence of real control — in China or in Peru — of Chinese actors’ activities have devastating consequences,” writes the report’s author, Juan Pablo Cardenal, a research associate at the Argentina-based Center for the Opening and Development of Latin America (CADAL), whose writings focus on content about China.
Chinese mining projects have so far caused environmental and social problems, among others. This is the case, for example, of the Las Bambas copper mine, at the center of protests from workers over poor working conditions and local indigenous people over environmental damage.
Peru’s Port of Chancay, exit route for Latin America’s lithium
This difficult scenario could be complicated by lithium exploration. According to the 2023 Mineral Commodity Summaries report by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Peru has great potential for the exploitation of the mineral.
For the rest of this article: https://dialogo-americas.com/articles/chinas-lithium-expansionist-interests-extend-beyond-the-argentina-bolivia-chile-triangle/