[People News] Peru’s political scene has been shaken once again. On February 17, Peru’s Congress voted overwhelmingly — 75 in favor and 24 against — to pass a motion of censure against interim President Jose Jeri, formally removing him from office. Jeri had been in power for only four months. The reason for his impeachment stemmed from a secret meeting with an agent linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The incident exposed startling details about how the CCP allegedly uses informal channels — including secret meetings in Chinese restaurants and intermediary agents — to infiltrate Peru’s upper political ranks. Jeri’s removal is being viewed as another strategic defeat for the CCP in South America, following the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s president.

The “Chinese Restaurant Gate” Scandal and Alleged CCP Infiltration

According to Peru’s television network Canal N and reporting by Reuters, the scandal — dubbed “Chifagate” — centers on Jeri being filmed wearing a hoodie late at night while secretly heading to a Chinese restaurant in Lima to meet with Chinese businessman Zhihua Yang. Yang is believed to be not merely a commercial figure but also an important intermediary for the CCP in advancing energy and infrastructure projects locally. According to analysis by the Associated Press, such informal meetings are characteristic of the CCP’s “gray zone” diplomacy, intended to bypass official oversight and directly influence sovereign leaders through benefits and inducements.

Peru’s Attorney General confirmed on January 19 that a preliminary investigation into the case had been launched.

Although Jeri claimed the meeting was merely to receive a painting as a gift, a congressional investigative committee pointed out that Yang’s company had recently been actively bidding for an electricity supply concession in the Lima metropolitan area — a highly sensitive timing coincidence.

Another trigger for Jeri’s downfall involved allegations of “improper appointments” concerning several young women. According to reporting by the independent Peruvian investigative outlet OjoPúblico, at least two women with close ties to business associations connected to Chinese capital were seen entering the presidential palace late at night for private meetings with Jeri, after which they quickly obtained high-paying government positions.

According to The Dajiyuan, Michael Shifter, former president of the Washington-based think tank Inter-American Dialogue, stated in an interview with Americas Quarterly that the CCP’s methods of influence in Latin America have grown increasingly diversified. The use of social traps to gather intelligence or shape policy has become a threat of high concern for the U.S. Department of Defense as well as U.S. Northern and Southern Commands.

Another Chinese businessman, Ji Wu Xiaodong, who is under house arrest on illegal logging charges, was also reportedly found to have made multiple unofficial visits to the presidential palace. Congresswoman Ruth Luque stated that a transitional government marked by “backroom interests, money-for-power deals, secret meetings, and hoodie-wearing figures” provides the perfect breeding ground for CCP infiltration.

“Economic Assistance” Used to Erode Sovereignty

The impeachment comes at a critical moment in U.S.–China competition in Peru. The Chinese state-owned COSCO Shipping–backed Chancay Port has become a key strategic foothold for the CCP in South America. Political turbulence in Peru has once again raised international concerns about the transparency of Chinese investment.

The scandal also appears to echo warnings made in January by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz during a briefing. Waltz stated that the CCP’s expansion in Latin America is often accompanied by corruption and bribery of officials, with the goal of locking in strategic assets in the Western Hemisphere through “debt-trap diplomacy.”

He emphasized: “What we are seeing is not economic assistance, but an attempt to erode sovereignty by manipulating opaque political systems.”

Despite political turmoil, Peru’s economy still grew by 3.4 percent in 2025, with inflation at just 1.7 percent. However, an editorial in El Comercio warned that if the CCP continues to manipulate Peruvian politics through intermediaries like Jeri, the country’s long-term institutional transparency could suffer devastating damage.

Jeri’s removal is viewed as a pushback by Peru’s democratic system against alleged illegal CCP infiltration. Yet with national elections approaching on April 12, preventing the CCP from exploiting the power vacuum through financial leverage to support new pro-Beijing proxies will pose a serious challenge for Peru’s Congress and the international community. △