A new China-backed megaport in Peru may create whole new trade routes that will bypass North America entirely.

South of the border, China is ascendant.Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives this week in a region where China has replaced the U.S. as the dominant trading partner for most big economies, with the exceptions of Mexico and Colombia.

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