BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA, 07 AUG (DNA) — China and the United States are clashing diplomatically in Argentina as President Javier Milei seeks to preserve his close alliance with Washington while pursuing deeper economic ties with Beijing.
China’s embassy in Buenos Aires accused the United States of hypocrisy on Thursday after an electricity cooperative in Argentina’s Neuquen province said the US Embassy threatened to revoke its executives’ visas over an agreement with Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. “These actions fully reflect the arrogance and prejudice of the United States.
They constitute a serious lack of respect for the sovereignty of other countries and a serious infringement of the principles of the free market,” the embassy said in a statement. It added that the United States should “correct its perception of China and put an end to its hegemonic practices and political maneuvering.”
The diplomatic clash comes as Milei walks a careful diplomatic line, remaining one of US President Donald Trump’s closest allies in the region while deepening commercial ties with China, one of Argentina’s top trading partners. On Wednesday, Argentina renewed its bilateral currency swap agreement with China for another five years, reinforcing financial cooperation between the two countries.
Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno is also expected to visit China in the coming months to strengthen economic and commercial ties. Quirno’s office declined to comment. China’s statement came days after CALF, the largest electricity distributor in southern Argentina, alleged that its executives had been threatened with the revocation of their US visas for negotiating with Chinese technology giant Huawei.
The cooperative said in a statement that an executive received messages through WhatsApp warning that US visa restrictions could apply to those involved in expanding Huawei’s operations in Argentina. — DNA
