The gap between megaprojects and everyday life. The case of the Chancay Port
On January 25 and 26, 2021, the Asian Studies Center and the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Pittsburg, in conjunction with the Academic Network of Latin America and the Caribbean on China (LAC-China Network), held the seminar China-Latin America and the Caribbean: Infrastructure, Connectivity, and Everyday Life.
The event, divided into three sessions over the two days, focused on infrastructure and investment issues related to connectivity projects between China and Latin America and the Caribbean. The specific topics were “Chinese Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean,” which was covered in two sessions on January 25; and “Chinese Immigration to Latin America and the Caribbean,” addressed in a single session on January 26. The three sessions featured University of Pittsburg professors and their Latin Americans counterparts from multiple universities in the LAC-China Network.
Outstanding among the series of lectures was that of Professor Omar Narrea, research affiliate at the Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies, on “The gap between megaprojects and everyday life. The case of the Chancay Port.” Professor Narrea concluded that (i) Chancay has an advantageous position as a potential special economic zone; (ii) the type of cargo the port focuses on is not mineral, which simplifies logistics; and (iii) the project’s success is linked to how its partners (Cosco Shipping and Volcan Compañia Minera) face up to the challenges of the geographic and institutional environment.