The link dates back to at least 2024. During one of the sessions of the Peru-China Parliamentary League, chaired by the congressman Luis Gustavo Cordero Jon Taythe then legislator José Jerí – today interim president – would have met the Chinese businessman Zhihua Yanga central figure, along with the president, in the Chifagate case.
Last Sunday, during the Peru-China Brotherhood Day, held at the Ministry of Culture, the lawyer of Lamb Jon TayDante Díaz Wong, declared to Peru21 —without specifying an exact date— that everything indicates that both would have met within the framework of the sessions of said league, which brings together legislators from both countries, and has businessmen as guests.
Luis Cordero’s lawyer Jon Tay: “It is very likely” that José Jerí and Zhihua Yang met in the Peru-China Parliamentary League (Video: Juan Carlos Chamorro)
“It is very likely that within the activities carried out by the Peruvian Chinese Friendship League (which is part of the meetings convened by the Peruvian Chinese Parliamentary League), which brings together 800 thousand businessmen, the president (José Jerí) has met, when he was still a congressman, not only that businessman, but many more,” he explained.
Peru21 reviewed the list of members of the Peru-China Parliamentary League and confirmed that it was not until June 2024 that José Jerí became part of that group.
And four months later, on October 4 of that same year, Jerí organized the Congress event called ‘The economic impact on bilateral trade relations between Peru and the People’s Republic of China’, to which Zhihua Yang joined as a guest. This would indicate that Jerí could have previously met the Chinese businessman.
However, it is striking that in the Plenary Session of Congress on May 16 of that same year—which he did not attend because he was supposedly ill—his friend Zhihua Yang was included in the vote as a representative of the Cantón Lima company.
In the new edition of the report, it was specified that the Chinese businessman acted as “operational and logistical support for the Chinese state companies under investigation” and that he played the role of “facilitator” for them to access million-dollar public works contracts.
According to a report by Álvaro Reyes, published in Peru21from the Presidency assured that they were “not” aware that Zhihua Yang’s name had been subsequently recorded.
CHINESE EMBASSY DOES NOT RULE ABOUT ZHIHUA YANG
In the midst of the controversy, the Chinese Embassy in Peru He remained publicly silent this Sunday on whether he authorized the businessman Zhihua Yang to coordinate directly with President José Jerí, despite repeated inquiries from the press during an official event by the Peruvian-Chinese Brotherhood.
The chargé d’affaires, Yi Yuanqingavoided commenting on the relationship between Yang and Jerí and limited itself to describing the event as a diplomatic activity.
Chinese Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Yi Yuanqing remains silent on Zhihua Yang. (Video: Juan Carlos Chamorro)
The omission of the diplomatic headquarters occurs in the context of the so-called Chifagate, which has put under scrutiny the unofficial meetings between the president and the Chinese businessman. The controversy was revived after Jerí acknowledged a meeting with Yang last December in a restaurant in San Borja, which – according to his version – had the objective of coordinating activities for bilateral friendship.
However, subsequent explanations have generated contradictions.
The Chinese Embassy specified that the coordination for the Peru-China Friendship Day was carried out in a protocol manner with the Ministry of Culture, thus demarcating any formal link with the private meeting held in the chifa.
Added to this is that Jerí himself did not finally participate in the commemorative event, despite having previously mentioned it, while the Public Ministry has initiated proceedings to clarify the off-the-schedule meetings between the Chinese businessman, the president and other officials.
The opposing versions from the Executive and the diplomatic silence have fueled political and public questions about the true extent of the coordination between Jerí and Zhihua Yang’s entourage.
The lack of clear answers keeps the controversy open about the role of the Chinese businessman and the efforts made outside official channels.
JERÍ DID NOT TELL THE TRUTH IN THE INSPECTION
The company Hidroeléctrica América SAC, linked to the Chinese businessman Zhihua Yang, maintains a million-dollar concession with the State to develop a hydroelectric plant in Abancay, with a committed investment of US$ 24.4 million.
Although the start of operations was scheduled for May of this year, the company requested a three-year extension in December 2025 from the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
The request was presented just three days before the meeting that José Jerí held with Yang in a chifa in San Borja, a meeting that sparked strong questions.
However, this procedure was not mentioned by the president in charge during his presentation before the Congressional Oversight Commission, where he denied that his friend’s company had current negotiations with the State.
Despite this, the Government finally did not approve the extension at the last minute, a decision that, according to various sources, would have been taken after the public scandal broke out.
For Jerí’s critics, the initial omission and subsequent turn reinforce suspicions of a possible conflict of interest and fuel censorship and vacancy initiatives against him.
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