By Eduardo Baptista, Marco Aquino and Lucinda Elliott LIMA (Reuters) -Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Lima on Thursday, kicking off a week-long diplomatic blitz in Latin America by inaugurating the massive Chancay deep-water port,

A focal point of his visit will be the virtual inauguration of the South American country’s US$3.5 billion port funded by Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a week-long diplomatic blitz of South America on Thursday by inaugurating a massive deep-water port in Peru, a $1.3 billion investment by Beijing as it seeks to expand trade and influence on the continent.

US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping arrived in Peru Thursday for an Asia-Pacific summit where they will likely meet for the last time under a cloud of diplomatic uncertainty cast by Donald Trump's election victory.

If things had gone differently last week, U.S. President Joe Biden could have arrived at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru on Thursday projecting confidence and pledging his successor’s cooperation with eager Latin American partners.

The port opening in Chancay underscores China’s growing clout in a region that once looked primarily to the United States for economic opportunity.

Chinese president to attend inauguration of megaport designed to be major commercial hub and one of Beijing's most ambitious infrastructure projects in Latin America - Anadolu Ajansı

Footage showed Air Force One touching down at an airbase in Peru, where Biden and his granddaughters disembarked. They were greeted by Peru's prime minister Gustavo Adrianzen and US Ambassador to Peru, Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath.