Overview
- The back-and-forth, which flared Monday on X, featured the U.S. ambassador in Lima quoting Little Red Riding Hood to mock his Chinese counterpart, who shot back that the United States was the “true wolf.”
- U.S. envoy Bernie Navarro first warned on April 17 that he would use “all tools available” if Peru negotiated in bad faith on plans to buy F-16 Block 70 fighter jets, a move meant to modernize an aging Air Force fleet.
- China’s Zhu Jingyang called Navarro’s language “coercive, direct, pure and crude” and said Peru can choose its partners without threats, describing China–Peru cooperation as “clean, open and mutually beneficial.”
- The jet deal has stirred turmoil inside Peru, with ministerial resignations and a reported initial payment of about US$462 million by the Finance Ministry despite the president’s stated opposition, highlighting frayed lines of authority.
- Peruvian analysts say the episode casts Peru as a stage for U.S.–China rivalry and exposes a weakened diplomatic posture, with no formal sanctions reported but rising pressure on Lima’s foreign ministry to contain the fallout.