Exclusive | What is Milei’s China agenda? Argentina’s envoy talks trade, space and the Global South
- Buenos Aires’ Beijing ambassador, Marcelo Suarez Salvia, says the two countries are navigating towards ‘promising horizon’ of opportunities
Javier Milei’s campaign last year for the Argentinian presidency included calling China – the second-largest buyer of Argentina’s exports – an “assassin” and an attack on its ruling Communist Party’s human rights record. He threatened to curb ties with Beijing and signalled a foreign policy more aligned with the United States and Israel.
Since taking office in December, Milei, the self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist, has appeared to be caught between realism and idealism. Days after his inauguration, he called off the previous government’s plan to join the expanded Brics, the club of emerging economies started by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Marcelo Suarez Salvia – the career diplomat appointed by Milei in February as Argentina’s ambassador to Beijing – shares his views on Milei’s China policy and how the two emerging powers can navigate a tumultuous period marked by intensifying geopolitical rivalry between Beijing and Washington.
How do you assess bilateral ties between Argentina and China?
Today, it is a manufacturing powerhouse and it is in the midst of a complex process of upgrading its manufacturing capacity with a focus on trade in services and high-end products.
During the same period, the relevance of China as a trade partner of Argentina has come to the point where it ranks in the top two positions on imports and exports.
