Peru, China, and the Pentagon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlZl-NkrdNk

Dina Boluarte spent years on the Far Left connected to Marxist movements within Peru and from 2021-2022 she served as a high-ranking official in the Castillo administration. Beset by political turmoil and an ongoing constitutional crisis - including attempts to impeach him, Pedro Castillo attempted to dissolve congress, seize control of the courts, and order a national curfew. He reached too far and did not have sufficient support - especially from the military. Even though she was his first vice president, Dina Boluarte did not support him or stand by him. Castillo's plan quickly collapsed leading to his arrest and impeachment in December 2022. He remains in detention as of this writing.

After Castillo's fall, Boluarte became president and immediately faced opposition from the Left and supporters of Castillo who viewed her as a traitor. She unleashed the army on the protesters and found herself suddenly in alliance with the Peruvian Right. As such she received support from the United States as well. Washington is eager for Peru to switch course, break with China, and return to the American fold.

Apart from America's geopolitical interests and commitment to the Monroe Doctrine, the interest in Peru is very simple - it is the second largest copper producer in the world as well as being the source of many other highly desired minerals. Some will know that in this world of rapidly expanding electric infrastructure, copper is critical and there's a global scramble for it - especially among the leading powers. The US has limited copper reserves and as such is looking to Latin America which has the largest reserves in the world. Only Chile (and perhaps the DRC) produces more copper than Peru. And of Peru's copper, a full two-thirds of it is being sold to Beijing.

Trump in an awkward attempt at carrot-and-stick diplomacy has recently placed a 10% general tariff on Peruvian imports and a full 50% on copper imports to the US - a strange move given that Peru can simply sell it elsewhere. Critics of Trump point out, the move is actually likely to push Lima closer to Beijing.

Boluarte has been exposed as an 'opportunist' (as some have put it), desirous of power and quite flexible in terms of ideology. Defense Secretary Hegseth met with Peruvian ministers at the Pentagon in May 2025 trying to patch up some of the bad feelings generated in 2023-2024 when the Biden administration turned critical of Boluarte. By then, relations had started to sour, driving Boluarte back into closer relations with Beijing. This led to mutual visits by the heads of state (Xi and Boluarte) and finally the opening of a trade port in Peru connected to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Needless to say, Washington was not happy. If they briefly thought in early 2023 that Boluarte would be the next Alberto Fujimori they were mistaken and undoubtedly some in Washington would rather see his daughter Keiko ascend to the presidency. Taking her cues from the Trumpist movement, Keiko attempted to discredit Castillo in 2021 by alleging he won by electoral fraud. Plagued by scandals, Fujimori has her supporters both in Peru and Washington and seemingly plans to run again in 2026. Boluarte must reverse course if she's to stay in power as she has earned the enmity of both her supporters on the Left and the Right. Her approval ratings are in the single digits. Her days in office are clearly numbered.

The way is being paved for a Fujimori to return to Lima and if this happens it is certain there will be great political unrest and violence. Keiko has given no indication that she intends to move away from her father's policies. She's run for the presidency (and lost) three times. In 2011, she hired Rudy Giuliani as an advisor but was still defeated, losing again in 2016, and 2021. Maybe the fourth time will be the charm.

The link is to an NTD video of the Pentagon meeting between Hegseth and the Peruvian Minister of Foreign Affairs. NTD is a media outlet connected to Falun Gong and thus is going to be extremely biased against Beijing - and therefore interested in any story that represents a challenge to Xi Jinping's rule and influence.

The meetings which are of great geopolitical importance in terms of Latin America were barely covered by the mainstream media. Given that Beijing and Boluarte opened the BRI-Chancay Port in December 2024, Washington's campaign to stir up anti-Chinese sentiment (demonstrated by Hegseth's over the top rhetoric) seems an unlikely prospect. But with the next general election due in the spring of 2026, the Trump Administration is expressing its interest in Peruvian politics and foreign policy and is thus sending signals. Washington has its allies and wants to communicate that it will back them.

For the likes of Keiko Fujimori, this meeting was undoubtedly an encouragement. With the current 50% tariffs on copper exports to the United States, Trump will be able (if the election goes the way he wants it to) to rescind the tariffs and make it look like a favour, or (if he chooses) he can suggest that if the Peruvian public votes for the right candidate (Fujimori or someone else on the Right) he will rescind the tariffs - which is tantamount to a form of outside interference. If any other nation engages in this sort of behaviour, the US is quick to cry foul.

As is so often the case in Latin America, the growing Evangelical movement in Peru has an established track record of supporting Right-wing politicians. This was already the case back in the 1990's as they (taking their cues from US Evangelical leaders) supported Alberto Fujimori and his authoritarian policies, as well as his war with the Shining Path. This is not expected to change. Fujimori it will be remembered, fled Peru at the conclusion of his presidency (1990-2000), and spent years hiding in Japan in order to escape the many criminal charges he faced. Arrested while visiting Chile, he was finally extradited to Peru, where he was tried and convicted. He spent sixteen years in prison, was released after a pardon, and died of cancer in 2024. He was one of America's cronies in Latin America and in reality the crisis in Peru today is a result of the fallout from his period in office. His shadow looms large over Peruvian politics and his legacy lives on in several respects - his daughter's political prominence being the most obvious. More broadly speaking, Fujimorism lives on as a quasi-fascistic ideology with an active and aggressive propaganda machine. Peru is a prize, caught in the middle of a contest between the United States and China. Hopefully the people and leaders of that nation can find another way forward.