Latin America and Peru

The question was about Peru. The Answer is about Latin America, and Peru of course.

The reader has a choice to start with. In this first video, an intrepid local reporter, Ollie Vargas answers questions as to the prevailing attitude in Latin America regarding intervention, infiltration, and other dirty tricks from the US in the Latin American region.  Ollie answered a good deal in the video titled Latin America Rising and you can take in this video at the end, or you can do it now. It slots into both positions.

Then there is an article that I wrote, titled: Why do we fight? Again it is about Latin America and again, you can skip the proceedings now to read that first, or you can wait until the end. These two submissions will form somewhat of a menu that you may take up or not – it depends on the level of your interest.

Yes, the intervention, meddling, and infiltration are in top form. This video is a few months old, but there are no changes in essence. Some of the details changed.

Let me introduce you to a pivotal part of the Latin Americas. There always is such a figure in the background.  The General of Southcom, General Laura Richardson. We will get closer to Peru because in Peru she played the literal pivot in the overthrow of the then-current President and the year of incredibly violent riots following that. General Laura won and I am sad to report that Peru is the same as always. This is the ‘same as always’ that you will get from the first video and my article Why do we Fight?

Gen. Laura J. Richardson – Commander, U.S. Southern Command

So why are we looking at Latin America when the question was about Chinese mining in Peru? The answer comes from a certain David K. Lifschultz, a well-known mining man with Genoil Inc but the strange part is that he was quoted by Sergei Glaziev on this issue, and if you wonder who he is, a well-known and highly regarded Russian economist.

So why the quote? In Europe, Russia will not cease until she has knocked NATO to its knees. Around China, despite all the bases and all the new Aukus-type organizations of so-called friends that the West is trying to pull together, it is well known in our circles that President Putin will supply President Xi Jinping with some of Russia’s major weaponry if that has not been done already. So, what is left for the ‘authoritarian democracy exceptional’ to try and make war against? In my view it is what is in its own backyard or front yard, the remnants of the Monroe Doctrine countries and that is exactly what Lifschultz said and exactly what Glaziev quoted – the next war, regional, will be in Latin America. I’ve written on the nature of what I expect, which is regional warfare from now on, as the fast-losing imperial master cannot make war any longer against the big powers, Russia and China.  We have to add Iran and perhaps now North Korea to that, but, let’s take it easy.

Peru then becomes a study of how this new imperialism and regional war-type structure plays out, and Doña Laura the example of who holds the baton, is really feminine and oh so sweet like a viper. Although I don’t mention her too frequently from this point onwards, her influence in all of these issues is almost a certainty. Another economic hitwoman.

Now this one you ought to take a look at, even if it is just the first 3 sentences – but do take it in.

Understanding the milieu, we move to Peru.

Like other Latin American Countries, Peru is incredibly rich in natural resources. In 2019, the country was the 2nd largest world producer of copper. The following is almost all above 90% in world production: silver, zinc, lead, trin, molybdenum, boron, gold, arsenic trioxide, bismuth, rhenium, tellurium, and one more, not mentioned.

What a wonderful grabbag of goods. Britannica has a good article on the resources and how the history played out between state-owned mining enterprises and regular privatization, but, nobody mentions Lithium of which there are oodles of tons.  (I’ve been assured that oodles of tons is a valid technical term.)

The five largest copper mines are as follows and you can immediately see two of those are Chinese projects.

1. Cerro Verde Mine – The Cerro Verde Mine is a surface mine located in Arequipa. It is owned by Freeport-McMoRan and produced an estimated 444.01 thousand tonnes of copper in 2023. The mine will operate until 2051.

2. Antamina Mine – Located in Ancash, the Antamina Mine is owned by Glencore Plc. The surface mine produced an estimated 410.07 thousand tonnes of copper in 2023. The mine will operate until 2036.

3. Quellaveco Project – The Quellaveco Project is located in Moquegua. It is owned by Anglo American Plc and produced an estimated 310 thousand tonnes of copper in 2023. The mine will operate until 2055.

4. Las Bambas Project – The Las Bambas Project, owned by China Minmetals, is a surface mine located in Apurimac. The mine produced an estimated 285 thousand tonnes of copper in 2023.

5. Toromocho Project – Owned by Aluminum of China, the Toromocho Project is a surface mine located in Junin. It produced an estimated 245.94 thousand tonnes of copper in 2023.

Las Bambas Project

Peru’s main trading partners are China and the United States. Just saying that will confirm why the Chinese get a bad rap (and in reality, they clean up and are responsible ecologically) and why the US employs people like Laura Richardson.  Just for completeness, China moved, and relocated this little town of Morococha five miles down the road.

One also immediately understands the Presidency of Peru where no President has completed a full term in many years. It is truly worthwhile once in a while to read Wikipedia and this one will not leave you tainted, but it may leave you in confusion about the Peruvian government. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Peru

Peru itself is forever tainted by the reign of Alberto Fujimori Fujimori.  He is a Peruvian former politician, professor, and engineer who served as President of Peru from 1990 until his removal from office in 2000. A dictator, he eventually went to jail because of terrible human rights abuses and literal crimes against humanity. This epitomizes the leadership of Peru. It is kind of Do as You Will!

The previous president, Pedro Castillo was impeached and arrested after he attempted to dissolve Congress (I believe it was legal lawfare, some kind of a self-coup) to call for new elections because he was completely outfoxed and stopped and could not ask the electorate to vote. He was sure he would win a new vote and most analysts and journalists also believed he would do it. At least, he was a reasonable president. So was he right wing, left wing, conservative or what? Well, we’re talking about Peru, a country in Latin America. Issues are not crystal clear. I have seen much analysis about him and the good guys call him left-wing, yet I truly do not know what he was. I know he was reasonable and his people liked him and he had some good ideas.

So, Castillo was impeached or he impeached himself, and everything was in disarray and in the very same day, Dina Boluarte stepped up and assumed the presidency on December 7, 2022. It was one of those happenings where one watches in complete astonishment. She was if there even is a term for it, floor elected with a promise that it is just temporary, to solve a temporary deadlock and she will call elections.

How many times have we seen similar processes play out?

A day before coup, US ambassador in Peru, veteran CIA agent, met with the defense minister.  The US ambassador in Peru, Lisa Kenna, worked for the CIA for 9 years, as well as the Pentagon. One day before the coup against elected left-wing President Pedro Castillo, Kenna met with Peru’s defense minister, who then ordered the military to turn against Castillo.

That is when I started calling it the CIA coup.

https://sovereignista.com/2022/12/15/peru-the-cia-coup/ and https://sovereignista.com/2023/01/20/perus-us-backed-coup/

Protests spread like wildfire. Boluarte called on Congress to approve a proposal to move elections forward; the move would be put to a vote on the next Monday in December 2022. “Members of Congress, you have to understand your historical responsibility,” said Boluarte in her address. “Tomorrow you have the opportunity to earn the trust of the country, to meet this demand so anxiously awaited by the Peruvian people. Let’s tell all of Peru, with the highest sense of responsibility: we’re all leaving.”

A few days shy of completing her first two months in office, and with Peru in a permanent state of social upheaval, President Dina Boluarte made two announcements aimed at placating the protests against her. The first entailed holding early elections in October of 2023, and the second involved long-awaited changes to the 1993 Constitution.

Peruvians went to the streets for a year of protests, a period of tremendous violence. The first protestor was soon killed by police fire in the capital, Lima. Nationwide, 58 people died in the first two months of street protests. Some deaths were confirmed by the Ombudsman – others just died and their families picked them up.

Peru’s Massacre Of Civilians Continues & Media Silent, with Kawsachun’s Ollie Vargas – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1TgRr-IWoQ

Corporate media called the protestors criminals and terrorists with illegitimate demands.  How many times have we seen this pattern and these exact accusations?  The demands looked pretty fair:

• the resignation of President Dina Boluarte who took power after the coup
• and the release of former President Pedro Castillo
• early elections and a new constitutional process.

This is not untoward. Peru is a socially conservative society.  They don’t want to live under a coup government and they do not want to give their lithium away.  They want to use it for the support and growth of their own country and people.  Peru is perhaps a smaller example of power centers shifting during the time of growing into multi-polarity but at present the sentiment is hidden.

Dina is still there. She has powerful friends but we cannot call her an accidental president. She sticks like a nit.  Boluarte has already survived four attempts to cut her term short thanks to a coalition of conservative lawmakers who have rallied behind her and have kept the measures from getting the necessary votes to move forward. The small legislative opposition cited “moral incapacity” as the reason for the removal request they submitted to Parliament this time. And as is usual, Peru’s poverty rate ticks up for the second straight year.  We see this pattern regularly as well.

https://t.me/meriblood/2976 (Refer to Why Do We Fight)

During the time of protests, China closed one of its copper mines, saying that they could not deliver their production to the port, as the roads were busy and in uproar.

In the meantime, during the period I saw that the fishermen were up in arms and that the factional nature of the industry was being riled up. Searching for information I saw that two fishing factions broke out in fighting. I saw black hands and it revived my interest. The fishermen are always a dead giveaway at meddling and we know that China has an interest in the Chancay Port. From fisherman to port worker is how my mind works. The following is from an American-centric publication full of fear about China taking over strategic resources in Latin America, and ‘dammit’, it is our backyard, or front yard, if you’re Joe Biden and you forget which is which.
https://dialogo-americas.com/articles/china-gains-foothold-in-peru-with-critical-infrastructure/

As for daily El Peruano, the upcoming visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Lima for the inauguration of the Chancay Multipurpose Port Terminal, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in November 2024, highlights Beijing’s interest in Peru’s strategic resources.

Future of the port

The $3.5 billion Port of Chancay, financed primarily by China, and located near one of Peru’s largest lithium reserves, serves as an example of the alliance between China and Peru, El Peruano reported.

In 2019, Chinese state-owned COSCO Shipping acquired 60 percent of the Chancay project. In 2021, it signed agreements with China Harbour Engineering Company and China Communications Construction Company for its construction, independent journalism platform Diálogo Chino reported. The project is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The project, however, has faced a series of hurdles and strong criticism, due, among other things, to the partial landslide at one of the tunnel construction sites, which led the collapse of several houses in the nearby community. In addition, some 50 omissions and inconsistencies have been identified in the Environmental Impact Study, with accusations of manipulation of information, Argentine news site Infobae reported.

The Chancay Port will not only expand COSCO’s influence in the port industry — COSCO has investments in more than 100 global ports — but could also serve as a dual-use facility in Peruvian waters for the Chinese Navy, Newsweek magazine reported. Experts point to Sri Lanka, which unable to repay its debt, gave China a controlling equity stake and a 99-year lease for the Hambantota Port, as an example of the debt trap and risk of erosion of sovereignty.

“Every infrastructure built by the Chinese regime abroad has a dual purpose, as stated in its constitutional mandate,” Tapia said. “According to its Constitution, every Chinese port built outside its borders must be earmarked for the use of the Chinese Navy.”

This policy implies that such facilities can be adapted for military purposes, which presents an elevated risk for the region. “The duality of purpose of these constructions increases concerns about stability and security in the area, creating a highly dangerous scenario,” Tapia added.

Just look at that header, as if it is a sin to call on original terms. I mean, who is changing the terms? (This is Reuters and I have not seen Chinese press coverage at all).

The Chinese state-owned company at the center of a dispute over operations of a megaport it is building on Peru’s Pacific coast insisted on Tuesday on terms agreed with the government, as some local officials have sought to backtrack on the deal.

Hong Kong-based Cosco Shipping Ports will defend its legal rights to provide services as the exclusive operator of the deepwater Chancay Port Terminal under “terms that were agreed at the beginning of this investment,” the firm said in a statement.

Cosco added that the legal controversy has harmed the project and cautioned against imposing new rules on ports that some regulators have said they might consider.

First, throw over the government and instill your president.  The last time we saw this clearly, was Venezuela.    Then roil up a section of the population, fishermen, then port workers, add US anti-China hypocritical and sanctimonious talk and listen to the General of Southcom.  This convinces me that we have trouble brewing in the Latin Americas. There was and still is a great amount of bravery and good spirit from the people, but Peru stayed in the streets for a year with little productivity to show for it – they still have Dina the nit!  From here, we can look at the surrounding countries and see the Southcom involvement as if it was written in a book because we all recognize the patterns, but oh yes, it is, written in a book.  The book of color revolutions.  Currently, with the regional destabilization, it may be a book of war.  Just a little more than a month ago, Mexico’s government severed diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police broke into the Mexican Embassy to arrest a former Ecuadorian vice president, an extraordinary use of force that shocked and mystified regional leaders and diplomats.

The raid prompted Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to announce the breaking off of diplomatic relations with Ecuador, while his government’s foreign relations secretary said the move will be challenged at the World Court in The Hague.

It left most in the region mystified.  And now I ask you, who breaks into Embassies with impunity?  Recognize the playbook yet?