MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina and China renew US$ 18 billion swap; Beijing will pay for agriculture imports in Yuan

The swap was due to expire on Monday in line with the agreement, signed in 2017, between the Argentine central bank and the People's Bank of China (PBC).

The central bank of Argentina announced it will renew a currency cooperation agreement with the People's Bank of China to swap US$ 18.2 billion worth of each other's currencies next week, El Economista reported on Friday.

The amount represents 42% of Argentina's stock of foreign reserves, which until Wednesday comprised of US$ 43.379 billion, showed BCRA's official website. Analysts said the renewal of the currency swap hints at growing agricultural trade between the two countries.

“The amount of the newly signed currency swap agreement between China and Argentina has been increased, compared with previous agreements, indicating that China-Argentina trade is expected to increase. Argentina is a major exporter of agricultural products, such as soybeans; and in the currently tense relationship between China and the US, a swap agreement could be a sign of expanding China's sources of buying agricultural products,” Chen Bo, an associate research fellow at the Institute for Finance and Economics at the Central University of Finance and

Economics, told the Global Times Sunday.

The swap was due to expire on Monday in line with the agreement, signed in 2017, between Banco Central de la Republica Argentina (BCRA), Argentina's central bank, and the People's Bank of China (PBC).

“It's an example of win-win cooperation. For Argentina, the agreement helps to improve its sovereign debt crisis and the credit level of the local currency. For China, trade can be settled in yuan, which is good for the currency's internationalization,” Chen added.

The first currency swap between China and Argentina was signed in 2009, worth 70 billion yuan (US$ 9.98 billion), and valid for three years, per PBC notice.

PBC and BCRA renewed the bilateral currency swap agreement on July 18, 2017, with the aim of promoting economic and trade development between the two countries. The agreement was worth 70 billion yuan, or 175 billion pesos, valid for three years, and to be renewed by mutual agreement.

The two central banks signed a supplementary currency swap deal for 60 billion yuan on December 2, 2018, in addition to the agreement signed in July of 2017.

This supplementary deal contributes to fostering greater financial stability and strengthening the relationship between both central banks. It further seeks to ease commercial exchange between both countries, BCRA said in 2018.