MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine FM to meet with Chinese ambassador amiid growing tension

Mondino's job lies in the balance. She still has Milei's support, though

Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino is to meet on Thursday or Friday with Chinese Ambassador Wang Wei to discuss a US$ 6.5 billion currency swap brokered by former Economy Minister Sergio Massa last year, among other topics.

Although such a disbursement would mean some relief to the South American country's Central Bank, the results of any negotiation between President Javier Milei's administration and China have been compromised by the new Argentine Government's stance regarding that country. Economy Minister Luis Toto Caputo was reported to have gone out of his mind this week when he learned that Mondino allegedly met with Taiwan's envoy Florencia Miao-hung Hsie.

China considers Taiwan a rogue province, while Taipei is seeking international support to achieve recognition as a sovereign state. Argentina does not hold Taiwan as such. Since the normalization of diplomatic relations with Beijing in February 1972, Argentina has always reaffirmed the “one China” policy, in return for which Beijing has sided with the South American country in the dispute over the Falkland Islands.

Milei's rapprochement with the United States has caused concern among Chinese Communist Party leaders. In a move to decompress tensions with Beijing, Buenos Aires appointed Marcelo Suárez Salvia as ambassador to China.

Mondino is expected to convey to Wang Wei that Argentina remains a strategic partner despite declining the invitation to join the BRICS+ bloc and is therefore still interested in keeping up the flow of trade and cooperation.

The Chinese ambassador returned to Argentina last week after almost a month in Beijing, where he was summoned to deliver an annual report on the state of the bilateral relationship. Such a report usually takes place in February during the Chinese New Year, but given the current situation, Xi Jinping's government decided to bring the trip forward.

It will be Mondino's second meeting with the diplomat in less than a month. The first encounter took place the day after the presidential inauguration.

Mondino and Florencia Miao-hunga Hsie were said to have met on Dec. 26 but the Taiwanese official denied those reports: “Last December 26, I did not have a meeting with the Chancellor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I wish she would receive me someday.”

In this scenario, Beijing is reportedly concerned over the lack of coordination between Toto Caputo and Mondino. The Economy Minister is said to be tiptoeing around financial circles in search of aid, but Milei's blunt diplomacy seems to have made it an uphill task. It was even reported in Buenos Aires that Mondino's job lies in the balance. She still has Milei's support, though.