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President Xi on official visit to Argentina signs 30 agriculture and investment deals

Monday, December 3rd 2018 - 07:48 UTC
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“China's development benefits Argentina, our region and the world,” Macri said during a ceremony at the presidential residence “China's development benefits Argentina, our region and the world,” Macri said during a ceremony at the presidential residence
Argentine polo association gave the Chinese leader a polo horse. Argentina is home to the world's top polo players and horses Argentine polo association gave the Chinese leader a polo horse. Argentina is home to the world's top polo players and horses
Macri also put a red polo helmet emblazoned with China's flag on Xi's head. Macri also put a red polo helmet emblazoned with China's flag on Xi's head.
Xi congratulated Macri on the successful G20 summit and underlined the ”the firm defense of multilateralism and free trade to build an open global economy” Xi congratulated Macri on the successful G20 summit and underlined the ”the firm defense of multilateralism and free trade to build an open global economy”

China's president on Sunday signed new trade deals with Argentina as the Asian giant expands its growing role in Latin American economies. Presidents Mauricio Macri of Argentina and Xi Jinping of China announced the more than 30 agriculture and investment deals during a state visit following the Group of 20 summit of leaders in Buenos Aires.

The deals include an agreement to export Argentine cherries to China and an expansion of a currency swap.

China is among Argentina's top export markets, especially for agricultural commodities that are the engine of its economy. It is also one of Argentina's biggest lenders, financing about US$ 18.2 billion in infrastructure and other projects, according to the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank.

“China's development benefits Argentina, our region and the world,” Macri said during a ceremony at the presidential residence in the outskirts of the Argentine capital.

“We have complementary countries. There are few countries in the world that can buy so many of the high-quality products that we're capable of making,” Macri said.

The visit comes after U.S. officials said they had reached a 90-day truce in the trade dispute with China that has rattled financial markets and imperiled global economic growth. That announcement followed a Saturday dinner meeting between Xi and President Donald Trump.

Argentina also granted Xi the top honor awarded to foreign politicians, and the Argentine polo association gave the Chinese leader a polo horse. Argentina is home to the world's top polo players, and Macri said that he wants the sport to make a comeback in China.

Photos released by Argentina's presidency showed a smiling Xi petting the pony with one hand and holding the reins with the other. Macri also put a red polo helmet emblazoned with China's flag on Xi's head.

Xi congratulated Macri on a successful summit and said that both nations believe that the G-20 spirit of solidarity must prevail in “the firm defense of multilateralism and free trade to build an open global economy and foment the world's prosperity and stability.”

Xi will go on to visit Panama, which has been negotiating a free-trade deal with China after shifting its diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taiwan last year, a move that led to complaints from U.S. officials.

 

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  • Enrique Massot

    “Photos...showed a smiling Xi petting the pony...”

    Never seen such a large pony. Anyway, polo played with ponies may be the new ecological trend, perhaps to be named “polo for the little ones,” or “small is beautiful.”

    Anyway. What a difference three years make. When former president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was making deals with China a few years ago, Macri virulently criticized the agreements. Early 2015 the then candidate sent a letter to Chinese ambassador Yang Wanming, warning the deals risked to be unconstitutional.

    Macri scoffed when the CFK government struck swap programs with China, calling them “a fantasy” and ridiculed the yuan denomination as “papelitos de colores” or “colored little papers.”

    Fast forward to 2018: During the G20 summit, president Macri called China chairman Xi “dear president,” and emphasized the fact that China's growth is good for Argentina and a litany of other flattering gestures.

    That is no surprising. Mauricio Macri's habit to lie through his teeth is already legendary.

    Dec 07th, 2018 - 03:49 am 0
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