MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

China congratulates president elect Milei and wishes to continue working with Argentina

The Chinese satellite tracking station in Neuquen allegedly run by the Chinese National Space Agency, but banned for all Argentines entering the premises

China said on Monday it would continue working with Argentina, congratulating president-elect Javier Milei on his victory, after he had vowed on the campaign trail to cut ties communists countries, that ignore freeedom, and specifically named Beijing and Brazil's Lula.

“China has always attached great importance to the development of China-Argentina relations from a strategic and long-term perspective,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

“Developing China-Argentina relations has become the general consensus among all sectors of society in both countries and has brought tangible benefits to the two peoples,” she said.

China is “willing to work with Argentina to continue China-Argentina friendship”, Mao said, and “support respective development and revitalisation through win-win cooperation”.

Milei, in a landslide victory, unexpected by opinion pollesters and analysts defeated Kirchnerite candidate Sergio Massa and a pseudo Peronist coalition in the presidential run off 56% to 44%.

Milei had promised to cut political ties with China, one of Argentina's top trading partners, as well as with Brazil, saying that he would not “do business with communists”. However he did admit that if the private sector wishes to continue business with the two “bad boys”, he would not interfere, “my government will not interfere with the private sector”.

Likewsie he anticipated his government would closely alienate with the United States and Israel, and promised to end the South American trade block that has been involved in negotiations with the European Union over a trade agreement for over two decades.

With China the relation is further complicated, not only as a leading trade partner, but aslo because Beijing has supported financially the Argentine central bank with stand by loans which have allowed Argentina to avoid again falingl in a foreign debt default.

But China also exracted certain advantages from Argentina, such as the use for 50 years of an alleged satellite tracking station in Patagonia, (US defines it as a base with other purposes) and has been promised a naval port in Tierra del Fuego as the gateway to Antarctica, plus some fishing rights in the South Atlantic, and other defense accords, undisclosed by the Kirchnerite governments.