For almost a year, China has been pitching an idea to its neighbors in Asia: a big, internationally funded bank that would offer quick financing for badly needed transportation, telecommunications and energy projects in underdeveloped countries across the region.
Beijing's new ambassador before the Argentine government underlined the excellent relations between the two countries and reiterated China's support to Argentina in the issue of sovereign debt and claims over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands.
Argentina's central bank chief, Juan Carlos Fabrega, met his Chinese counterpart Zhou Xiaochuan in Basilea, Switzerland on Sunday to discuss how a currency swap worth billions of dollars will be put into action, the Argentine monetary authority said.
Pope Francis ended his first official visit to Asia on Monday with a fresh overture to China and a call for reconciliation between South Korea and its totalitarian neighbor, North Korea. As the pope flew across Chinese airspace on his return flight to Rome, he sent a telegram — his second during the trip — to President Xi Jinping, expressing his “divine blessings” for the powerful leader and the Chinese people.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ended on Wednesday an eight-day trip through Latin America with a visit to eastern Cuba, where both the island's independence struggle against Spain and Fidel Castro's revolution began.
Argentina's current confrontation in New York with Judge Thomas Griesa and the holdout speculative funds brings up the issue of having resigned the sovereignty of Argentine courts at the time of negotiating or restructuring foreign debt.
Venezuela confirmed Monday that its relations with China have become a fundamental pillar for making progress in almost all sectors of its economy. With a new portfolio of accords and almost 5.7 billion in loans, Beijing will provide support in many key areas.
President Cristina Fernández used her Twitter account on Sunday to comment on last week’s heavy agenda with the visit of Russia’s and China’s presidents and the BRICS-UNASUR summit in Brazil. “It has been an important week for Argentina,” she said.
Daniel Filmus head of the Argentine Foreign ministry office on Issues related to the Question of Malvinas, underlined the support from China to Argentina' sovereignty claim over the disputed Islands, which was “clearly expressed” in a joint declaration signed by Presidents Cristina Fernandez and Xi Jinping, currently on a visit to several Latin American countries.
Argentina signed deals on Friday to borrow 7.5 billion dollars from China at a time when Buenos Aires cannot access global capital markets because of disputes over unpaid debt. Beijing also extended a three-year agreement for an 11bn swap operation between the central banks of Argentina and China.