On the edge of Peru’s coastal desert, a remote fishing town where a third of all residents have no running water is being transformed into a huge deep-water port.

Huge cranes loom over Peru's massive new Chinese-funded Chancay port, a symbol of Beijing's growing influence in South America which is set to be inaugurated by President Xi Jinping on Thursday. "With the addition of this port,

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