Chinese Embassy Runs Insert in Peruvian Newspaper

On November 2, 2021, the Chinese Embassy in Peru published a 16-page insert that was distributed nationwide alongside Peru’s official state newspaper El Peruano. The insert marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Peru diplomatic relations on November 2, 1971. Then-Ambassador Liang Yu (梁宇) contributed a signed article on the history and future of bilateral ties. The insert also included pieces by Peruvian officials, academics, and business figures, and promoted Chinese-backed projects including the Chancay deep-water port, a Belt and Road Initiative mega-project developed by state-owned COSCO Shipping Ports (中遠海運港口). Another project promoted was the Marcona iron mine run by the state-owned Shougang Group (首鋼集團). Based in Beijing, Shougang acquired the mine in 1992, when it was regarded as China’s first major investment in Latin America. The insert reflects a pattern common to Chinese public communications, in which embassy-organized media placements blend diplomatic messaging with promotion of China’s foreign policy objectives and strategic narratives. This is a classic instance of what has been termed the “borrowed boat” method of external propaganda — using established foreign outlets as vehicles to push the official narratives of the Chinese Party-state.