Peru's newly-opened Chancay Port is expected to play a vital role in promoting trade between South America and Asia, according to Peruvian and Chinese experts.
An opening ceremony was held for the port on Thursday, after which the transportation time of goods exported from South America to the Asian market will be shortened to between 25 and 35 days, reducing logistics costs by more than 20 percent.
China's financial hub Shanghai is expected to welcome more goods from South America. And from Shanghai, these products will be shipped throughout Asia, including Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asian countries.
On the sidelines of the ceremony, Peruvian and Chinese guests shared their expectations on the port.
"Now with the new port of Chancay, many opportunities are going to come. It's going to be easier for us to bring our products here to Chancay and then to Shanghai," said Ysabel Zea, a co-founder of Peruvian brand Warmpaca.
"Chinese electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products are the 'three emerging products'. Take Chinese new energy vehicles (NEVs) as an example. One of the four berths is designated for automobiles. So the port will greatly facilitate the export of China's 'three emerging products'," said Wu Meng, head of the Department of International Cooperation of the China Council for The Promotion of International Trade.
Newly-opened Chancay Port to bring more opportunities for Peru, China
Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Italy and Greece on Saturday to protest against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, with protesters in Rome, Milan and Athens condemning Washington's actions and calling for respect for Venezuelan sovereignty.
In Rome, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched toward the area near the U.S. Embassy, calling on Washington to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Police blocked roads around the embassy to prevent protesters from approaching the building, but demonstrators continued to denounce U.S. actions.
"First of all, we oppose U.S. imperialist aggression. This kind of behavior is shameful. The U.S. is attacking a sovereign country, and as [U.S. President Donald] Trump himself has said, this is for oil interests," said protester Giovanni Barbera.
Saturday's rally marked the second large-scale protest in Rome this month against U.S. military operations in Venezuela, following an earlier one on on Jan 3.
Participants included members of multiple political parties, labor unions and social organizations. The protesters held banners reading "Stop imperialist interference" and "Free Maduro," urging the international community to respect Venezuela's sovereignty and the will of its people, and condemning the U.S. for violating international law.
"We are protesting the way the U.S. handles international politics. Since the events of January 3, we have seen violations of international law, and we are very concerned about how the global situation is developing," said protester Stefano De Angelis.
Organizers said solidarity rallies in support of Venezuela were held in 30 Italian cities on the same day.
Meanwhile, similar protests were also staged in Greece. About 200 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, voicing support for Venezuela and opposition to U.S. military actions.
"We oppose U.S. imperialism and its attack on Venezuela. At the same time, the U.S. is also threatening Cuba, Mexico and Greenland. We must stand up against this behavior," said Greek protester Argiro Sirmakezi.
Protesters rally in Italy, Greece against U.S. military operation in Venezuela
