MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Malcorra successfully completes negotiations with China and meets on Monday in Buenos Aires with Serra

On Thursday Malcorra met her peer Wang Yi and said projects signed with Beijing were reviewed satisfactorily, and the strategic association was ratified

Argentina's foreign minister Susana Malcorra held another round of talks with high level Chinese officers in Beijing, as part of her official visit to China to promote trade, investment and the special strategic relation between the two countries. But also cut short her visit to other countries to be back in Buenos Aires next Monday in time to meet with her new Brazilian peer, Jose Serra to address the bilateral agenda and Mercosur among other issues.

 On the third day of her visit, Ms Malcorra met with Commerce minister Gao Hucheng, the Director General of China's Energy national administration Nur Bekri, and chaired a meeting of the China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation (SINOSURE).

On the second day of the official visit, Malcorra met her peer Wang Yi and stated that in a joint satisfactory way for both sides, “we are reaching the final chapter of a transition where we reviewed previous projects, and ratified the strategic association with China to advance with new accords”.

The Argentine official referred specifically to the hydroelectric dams planned for Santa Cruz province and the space and satellite tracking station leased to Beijing in the Patagonia province of Neuquén.

For the dams chapter, “we needed a time for analysis because, as it had been contracted out, was not a final project and generated some uncertainties about costs. I've signed an understanding by which we cut the overall outlay and make it more foreseeable”.

As to the controversial tracking station in Neuquen, Malcorra pointed out that “China has reiterated it will have an exclusive civilian use, which had caused concern in some circles in Argentina, but with which there are no objections”.

Early in Friday interviewed by a Buenos Aires radio station the minister anticipated she would be back in Buenos Aires on Monday, on time to receive at the San Martin Palace the newly named Brazilian foreign minister Jose Serra.

“We are beginning to work with the new administration. We have scheduled a meeting with Serra to sit at a table, compare objectives and see how we are going to address bilateral links and also how do we position ourselves, from Mercosur, where there's much to do and we have already made the first exchange of proposals with the European Union. We want it to be a productive meeting which enables us to know each other and enrich the bilateral relation”.

Asked about her nomination to Secretary General of UN, Malcorra said it was a decision which belonged to president Macri, and according to what he believes to be the interests and opportunities of inserting Argentina globally in different ways“.

”It's a bet and a gesture of trust, which is to be followed by a long process. The Security Council begins in July, but normally the most probable definition is expected to be concluded by the end of October, but there is no fixed chronogram“.

However Ms Malcorra said she would continue as full time foreign minister When a decision has been made, and by chance it favor me, I would have to leave the post, but this will not happen until at least October, so I will continue to work as I have done so far” underlined Ms Malcorra.