China's top diplomat said on Friday that tariffs and trade disputes could plunge the world into recession and Beijing was committed to resolving them in a calm, rational and cooperative manner.
A group of 16 young activists led by Greta Thunberg, denounced Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany and Turkey to the UN for not protecting children from the impact of climate change in one of Monday's highlights at the historic climate summit in New York convened by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will host nearly 40 heads of state next week at the second Belt and Road forum, which is expected to produce more deals for companies and banks that want in on the latter-day Silk Road mega-project. The strong showing is a testament to the project's standing despite its multiple criticisms, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday.
China and the United States can compete but should not view each other with a Cold War mentality and should avoid falling into a zero-sum game trap, the Chinese government's top diplomat said, amid deteriorating ties between the superpowers.
China and South Korea are seeking to establish free trade agreements with Mercosur in a strategic response to Washington's increasingly protectionist stance. The East Asian initiatives have resonated well in a region where Washington is keeping its distance. U.S. President Donald Trump has not visited a single Latin American country since taking office in January 2017, and chose not to attend the Summit of the Americas, which recently concluded in Peru.
Foreign Minister Malcorra Susana said on Wednesday that Argentina has applied to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and is willing to be actively involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.
Argentine president Mauricio Macri announced in China that besides boosting and balancing bilateral trade and confirming the infrastructure and energy deals reached by his predecessor, Chinese tourists will no longer need visas to visit Argentina.
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.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez will be travelling to Beijing next month, reciprocating a visit from her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last July, it was officially announced by chief of staff Jorge Capitanich. The meeting was anticipated last Friday in a meeting of the two countries foreign ministers on the sidelines of the CELAC/China ministerial forum held last week in Beijing.
The summit of G77 leaders plus China wrapped up Sunday with a call for an end to poverty by 2030, after a demand by Bolivia's President Evo Morales to eliminate the UN Security Council. It also marked the presence of Beijing which has become the leading trade partner of many Latam countries.