"Peru's interim president, Jose Jeri, has denied lying to the country and claimed he was the victim of a plot to discredit him amid a growing political scandal over his secretive meetings with Chinese businessmen. Jeri, 39, who took office in October after his predecessor Dina Boluarte was forced out, told a congressional oversight committee on Wednesday that he had been the target of a smear campaign designed to destabilise the country ahead of elections in April."
"It could be understood to be a trap, he told the committee after he was summoned to explain two meetings which were made outside office hours and were not publicly disclosed as part of his official agenda. Trump's disdain for South American allies is China's gain Public prosecutors have launched an investigation into the meetings at a Chinese restaurant, or chifa, and a shuttered shop in Lima's Chinatown."
"The scandal dubbed Chifagate comes as the United States and China jostle for influence in Latin America, where the Asian giant is the main trading partner for most countries, including Peru, and a major source of foreign direct investment. Peru's chronically corrupt and unstable politics has seen a rapid turnover of seven presidents since 2018 in a revolving door of dismissals and resignations."
Interim president Jose Jeri denied lying and said he was the victim of a plot to discredit him after videos emerged showing secret meetings with a well-connected Chinese businessman. The meetings took place outside office hours at a Chinese restaurant and a shuttered shop in Lima's Chinatown and were not publicly disclosed in his official agenda. Public prosecutors have opened an investigation into the meetings, and opposition lawmakers plan to present a motion to impeach. The scandal, dubbed Chifagate, occurs amid growing US-China competition for influence in Latin America and follows Peru's history of political instability and rapid presidential turnover.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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