This month, a new megaport in Peru will allow trade between South America and Asia to bypass North America entirely.

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.

A Chinese-backed mega port recently opened in Peru, the first of its kind in Latin America. We look at Beijing's growing influence in a region that some call "America's backyard." ...