After the signing of the according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)the greatest international conflict of the Government of Javier Milei is to define a strategy that allows him to breach the demanding orders of the United States to break business, loans and commercial relations with the People’s Republic of Chinacommitted and for which the Government of Xi Jimping launched a hard warning of reprisals.
“The Gordian knot of the country’s foreign policy passes here after signing the agreement with the IMF,” he said iprofesional a high source of the government, referring to Fund turn for 20,000 million dollars.
“There is no armed team to respond to this dilemma between the United States and China“He said iprofesional A high source of a Milei Ministry.
Commercial War between Donald Trump and Xi Jimping: The position of the Government of Argentina
Donald Trump’s government suggested that of Milei to Cancel the Swap (loan) of the Bank of China and drastically reduce international trade and other very advanced strategic projects and impossible to ride: the Atucha III nuclear power plant, the spatial base in Neuquén, the space telescope in San Juan, dams of dams and ports in Tierra del Fuego, the exploitation of lithium, copper and the novel “rare lands” of minerals, among others.
The Trump administration declared the commercial war to China with very high tariffs of 145% to the imports of China, answered by the XI government with 125% rates, in addition to a strong Trumpist pressure on the 140 partner countries of China to break relations with Peking.
For these pressures, The Chinese government on Monday launched a global warning to all countries about what If they are pressured by Trump they will have strong reprisals. In that sea of sharks Milei moves and his diplomacy of unconditional alignment with the United States and Israel, but strong dependence on China’s capitals.
The question worries the chief of the Cabinet, Guillermo Francos, and the Ministers of Economy, Luis Caputo, and Security, Patricia Bullrich. And of course, to the “iron triangle” composed of his sister and general secretary of the Presidency, Karina Milei, and the main advisor, Santiago Caputo.
Karina Milei has Diego Sulesca, director of the Argentine Investment Agency. Milei has Demian Reidel as head of advisors, linked to artificial technology and intelligence issues, but there is no team to deal with the conflict.
In this context, Milei will travel this Thursday night to Rome to participate in Pope Francis’s funeral and his environment waiting for photos with his pairs from the United States, Donald Trump, and Italy, Giorgia Meloni.
For now, Milei looked for a meeting at the White House with Trump, who did not getand postponed an invitation from Xi Jimping to visit China, even without date.
“Trump’s hard demands put tension the relationship with Xi Jimping, which presses not to take strategic projects, such as Atucha III,” he said iprofesional a high source of a strategic ministry.
“What the Chinese ask for is that the contract signed with former president Alberto Fernández is respected,” said the source. In the government they confirmed the Chinese pressure and added that they are 12,000 million dollars in a giant nuclear power plant that some in the government assign little utility and have originated from a specific interest of Kirchnerism.
The former ambassador to the United States and China, Diego Guelar, told iprofesional that “The conditions that Trump wants to impose in the 140 partner countries of China are impossible and in the world are not accepted“
Another agreement that Argentina made with China during the government of Alberto Fernández, which XI assigns strategic importance, is the Silk routea strip of giant public works for trade between countries.
In tune with Guelar, high diplomats point out that this tension “is the greatest dilemma and conflict that Milei must resolve in the tension between the United States and China, everything is new, everything is divination, you have to meet some demands and others postpone them, let’s not forget that China is the main buying market for soybeans, oil and soy flourThey will ask the same as the United States, we all think, but nobody knows anything about this novelty. “
Also to the mystery add hermeticism. “In total reserve, you imagine that The negotiations are very reservedbut it has been working and strong, “said an official. In all cases a deep concern is perceived.
Javier Milei, between two fires: United States or China
The fierce United States pressure on Argentina and 140 partner countries caused a response from the Government of Xi Jimping: that they do not limit trade with China. Otherwise, Peking will retaliate against countries that are influenced by Donald Trump. Milei is between two fires, because Argentina is dependent on the Chinese market and the United States cannot replace it.
“The domination will not bring peace, and the commitment will not generate respect,” said China’s Ministry of Commerce in a statement. “Looking for alleged exemptions harming the interests of others to obtain selfish benefits and mine is like negotiating with a tiger for their skin. In the end, it will only lead to a situation in which everyone loses,” warned the Chinese government.
“China firmly opposes that any party reaches an agreement at the expense of China’s interests,” he said and anticipated that “he will take counsets decidedly.”
Some demands from the United States will be postponed. In the case of Chinese swapthe last week the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo and the president of the Central Bank, Santiago Bausili, renewed the loan.
However, the cancellation of that financing line of the Central Bank reserves had been requested by the envoy for Latin America of the State Department, Mauricio Claver Carone, two weeks ago in Washington, and by the secretary of the Treasury, Scott Besunt, when visiting Milei and the Caputo himself in an interview with Bloomberg.
Instead, another could be luck in other projects. The Atucha III Nuclear Power Plant was extended in 2023 to 2025. Now the Milei government slows the resumption and China asks that the signed be respected. China offered 85% of the financing, but Argentina demanded 100% of the estimated cost of 12,000 million dollars. The project was signed between the SA Nucleoelectric Company and the National Nuclear Corporation of China (CNNC).
Another project underway is the Argentine Chinese radio (Cart) in Calingasta, San Juan, which would begin in 2026 in its final assembly phase to constitute an international astronomical pole.
The National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) and the National University of San Juan participated with the Government of the Province and the National Astronomical Observatory of the Academy of Sciences of China.
Continues to bother the United States government Chinese satellite base in Neuquén, Because American intelligence information ensures that it conceals a military base. That is why China showed its base last December to the media and offered to take an Argentine astronaut to the space to get to Mars, something that did not like Washington because a space race of the 21st century that does not like Trump’s or Elon Musk, Trumpist official and owner of Space X.
Projects and resources that are cause for disputes between the United States and China
Besides, In the Government they point out as a new reason for dispute between the two countries the novel “rare earths”, which are resources of the Argentine subsoil that contains 17 elements of the periodic mineral table. It is part of the technological dispute between the United States and China.
Are vital for the production of very high technologysuch as chips for artificial intelligence, and energy transition and even weapons manufacturing.
They are called “rare” because they are difficult to discover in the terrestrial subsoil. These elements include the scandio, the ititrium, the hill, the praseodimio, the neodymium, the Europium and so many others such as the uranium that exist in Argentine deposits, but the quantity and the location are not yet known, although it is estimated that it is in the Andes mountain range, where there is also gold. They serve as fuel for combat airplanes, weapons and communications.
It is a variant of lithium, a resource next to the copper that the United States wants to dispute China and that our country produces incipiently. In that sense, also the Xi Jimping regime wants to advance with the construction of a port in Tierra del Fuego, such as those he built in Brazil and in Peru to export to the world.
The action to prevent this project was linked to the arrival in Argentina the last year of the head of the South Command, General Laura Richardson, who also put in the spatial base in Neuquén, or military, according to Washington.
According to international analysts, China positioned itself in 140 countries as the main partner And the United States is late for the claim to disassemble commercial and business agreements, especially because Washington does not offer in return the same businesses in China.
“None of those countries can do without China. It is an impossible compliance order. And he will fail and the world will take him jokingly because he is not serious, “he told iprofesional An analyst who asked for reservation of his name.
In the government of Milei they are certain that China will press against the United States for all projects and to maintain international trade: China is the largest market for agricultural exports. “The Chinese want to fulfill what Alberto Fernández signed and it is not easy to tell them no,” said a Milei official, concerned about the lack of official reaction.
