Peru Sets 19 October Hearing on Shield of the Americas
PERU · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —The country Peru is the world’s third-largest copper miner, on South America’s Pacific coast, led by President Keiko Fujimori of the conservative Fuerza Popular party.
- —What happened On Monday 5 October, a committee of Peru’s Chamber of Deputies voted unanimously to invite Foreign Minister Carlos Espá to appear on 19 October.
- —The topic Deputies want him to explain the scope of the Shield of the Americas, a coalition of 15 governments led by Washington against drug cartels.
- —The minerals link The Shield also covers critical-mineral supply chains, and Peru mined an estimated 2.7 million tonnes of copper in 2025, says the US Geological Survey.
- —The US angle On 28 September the State Department revoked a Lima judge’s US visa under a policy it tied to the Shield of the Americas.
- —Still open Espá says joining the Shield created no binding commitments, and deputies now want its scope spelled out.
Peruvian lawmakers have invited Foreign Minister Carlos Espá to explain the Shield of the Americas, a US-led coalition against drug cartels, on 19 October. A committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved the invitation unanimously on Monday 5 October, Congress said in a statement.
The hearing matters beyond Lima because the Shield’s founding statement also covers supplies of critical minerals, where Peru is a heavyweight. Peru mined an estimated 2.7 million tonnes of copper in 2025, the world’s third-largest output, according to the US Geological Survey.
What Congress Decided
The decision came from the Constitution, Rules and Foreign Relations Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Peru’s two-chamber Congress. Congress said the vote was unanimous.
The committee is chaired by Giannina Avendaño of Juntos por el Perú, a left-wing opposition party led by Roberto Sánchez. Sánchez lost this year’s presidential runoff to Keiko Fujimori, and his party wants her government’s request for decree powers shelved, Infobae reported on Tuesday.
Espá is asked to explain the government’s foreign-policy guidelines and the scope of the Shield agreement. He is also to report on help for Peruvians abroad and on preparations for Pope Leo XIV’s visit.
The step is an invitation to a committee hearing, not a formal interpellation by the full chamber. Espá is the top diplomat of President Fujimori, whose government is listed among the Shield’s members.
What the Shield of the Americas Is
The Shield of the Americas groups 15 governments, including the United States, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Peru. Their leaders’ joint statement, which the State Department dates to 22 September, rests on three pillars: economy, security and multilateral coordination.
On the economy, members said they would explore investment screening and safeguard critical-mineral supply chains through diversified and reliable sourcing. That language matters for Peru, a major source of copper, silver and zinc.
On security, they named 24 groups to target with asset freezes and visa bans, including Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua. Peru’s Shining Path, a communist guerrilla remnant, is on the list too.
Espá told the Senate on 16 September that joining did not mean signing a treaty or accepting binding commitments, El Comercio reported. Fujimori attended a Shield meeting in New York on 22 September.
Background on Peru’s entry into the coalition is available in an earlier report.
The US and China in Peru’s Minerals
Peru also signed a separate memorandum on critical minerals and rare earths with the United States in Washington. The Foreign Ministry announced it on Wednesday 4 February and stressed that it creates no legally binding obligations.
The ministry said the memorandum helps identify priority projects jointly and eases access to financial and technological instruments. Washington had already named Peru a major non-NATO ally in a determination signed on 14 January.
China, however, still takes most of Peru’s minerals. From 2021 to September 2026, 69% of Peru’s export volume of copper, silver, lead, tin and zinc went to China, an Ojo Público analysis found.
Only 1.3% went to the United States, the same analysis found. Peru supplied 7% of US refined copper imports in 2021 to 2024, according to the US Geological Survey.
The rivalry is visible at Chancay, a port north of Lima. China’s Cosco Shipping Ports holds 60% of it, Gestión reported.
On Monday 28 September the State Department said it had revoked the US visa of Juan Carlos Núñez Matos, a constitutional judge in Lima. It cited a new policy against people who undermine elected governments through corruption or drug trafficking.
El Comercio asked Espá about a post attributed to US Ambassador Bernie Navarro that called the revocation one of the Shield’s first results. The newspaper described Núñez Matos as the judge who ruled in favour of Cosco Shipping.
Espá replied that granting, revoking or suspending visas are sovereign acts of each country. Washington’s decision, he said, did not have to be coordinated with any multilateral body.
The wider visa action, which also hit people in Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador, is detailed in an earlier report.
What It Means for You
For US investors, the hearing is a test of how closely Fujimori ties Peru to Washington while China remains its main mineral buyer. Copper traders, miners such as Southern Copper, which runs the Cuajone mine, and shippers using Chancay all depend on that balance.
For travellers and residents, nothing changes now. The steps announced under the Shield of the Americas so far target specific individuals and criminal groups, not ordinary visitors.
For Washington, Peru is a test case of whether the Shield can turn security cooperation into economic alignment. The minerals language in the leaders’ statement points that way, but the statement only declares intentions.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether Espá will appear on 19 October or send written answers instead. Deputies want the scope of the Shield of the Americas, which the government has so far described only as non-binding.
The committee’s agenda does not mention the critical-minerals memorandum of February. Whether deputies raise it, and whether the government shares any project list under it, remains open.
Washington calls its visa policy a durable tool to act as evidence develops, but has not said whether more Peruvians are targeted. It is also unclear which of the statement’s measures, such as asset freezes against the 24 listed groups, Peru has already put into practice.
More: Peru news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Shield of the Americas?
It is a coalition of 15 governments led by the United States against drug cartels and other criminal groups. Its leaders’ statement also covers investment screening and critical-mineral supply chains. Peru’s government says joining involved no treaty and no binding commitments.
Why is Peru’s Congress calling the foreign minister?
A committee of the Chamber of Deputies voted unanimously on Monday 5 October to invite Carlos Espá on 19 October. Lawmakers want him to explain foreign-policy guidelines, the scope of the Shield of the Americas, consular help and the papal visit.
Does the Shield change travel to Peru for Americans?
No change has been announced for ordinary travellers. The measures taken under the Shield of the Americas so far target specific individuals and the 24 listed criminal groups.
How important is Peru for copper?
Peru mined an estimated 2.7 million tonnes of copper in 2025, third behind Chile and the Democratic Republic of Congo, says the US Geological Survey. Most of Peru’s exports of five key metals, copper among them, go to China by volume.
Sources: Congress of Peru (Centro de Noticias): Comisión de Constitución acuerda citar a ministro de Relaciones Exteriores, 5 October 2026; Exitosa: Comisión de Constitución cita al canciller Carlos Espá para el 19 de octubre, 5 October 2026; US Embassy in Peru: Joint Statement on Defending Hemispheric Sovereignty (Shield of the Americas), 24 September 2026; US Embassy in Peru / State Department: Visa Restrictions for Foreign Nationals Undermining Democratically-Elected Governments, 28 September 2026; Peru Foreign Ministry: memorandum on critical minerals signed in Washington, 4 February 2026; Federal Register: Designation of the Republic of Peru as a Major Non-NATO Ally, 23 January 2026; US Geological Survey: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Copper, February 2026; El Comercio: Comisión de Constitución acuerda citar al canciller Carlos Espá, 5 October 2026; El Comercio: interview with Foreign Minister Carlos Espá, 4 October 2026; Ojo Público: Minerales críticos, EE.UU. se acerca a Perú y China domina el mercado, 20 September 2026; Gestión: Puerto de Chancay, EE.UU. y oportunidades, 5 October 2026; Infobae Perú: Juntos por el Perú presenta dictamen en minoría, 6 October 2026; Public Prosecutor’s Office (Ministerio Público): Shining Path member sentenced in the VRAEM, 6 October 2026; El Comercio: Juntos por el Perú, profile of the left-wing caucus led by Roberto Sánchez, 17 May 2026.
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