Buenos Aires Herald 
President Javier Milei described China as a “very interesting trade partner” and announced a trip there in January.
His comments mark a sharp change in stance. Milei had previously said he “would never trade with China” because it is a “communist” country — broadsides that resulted in diplomatic tension in the first months of his government.
The president will head to China for a meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC, by its Spanish initials) in January. Presidency Secretary, Karina Milei, will also fly to Shanghai in November for the China International Import Expo.
The president’s comments came during an interview with TV host Susana Giménez, which was filmed on Thursday at Casa Rosada and aired on Sunday night.
“China is a very interesting trade partner, because they don’t make any demands, they just ask that you don’t bother them,” he said when asked about his stance on China. The country is one of Argentina’s top trading partners, along with Brazil.
Before the August 2023 primary elections, Milei had said he would not trade with China if elected. “We could trade with the civilized side of the world, the West,” he said in an interview at the time. “I don’t trade with communists. I don’t trade my morality for money.”
During the campaign, Milei also described the Chinese government as a “murderer” and claimed the country’s people were “not free.” After he won the election, China warned him that severing ties between the countries would be a “serious mistake.”
Other episodes that increased tensions between December and January were an alleged meeting — denied by the Argentine government — between Foreign Minister Diana Mondino and representatives of Taiwan, a two-week delay in naming a new Argentine ambassador to China, and Milei’s announcement that Argentina would not join the BRICS bloc of emerging economies.
The Chinese government contends that Taiwan is part of its territory and other countries rejecting the island’s independence claim is a condition for maintaining diplomatic ties.
Milei has since tried to soften his stance. Since 2020, Argentina has maintained a currency swap with China for US$6.5 billion, which it uses mainly to finance imports from China. Days after Milei took office, China froze the agreement, and the president wrote a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping asking him to accelerate the renewal of the swap.
In June, China finally agreed to renew the swap for US$5 million until 2026. The decision followed a meeting between Chief of Staff Guillermo Francos and Ambassador Wei Wang.
“I was very pleasantly surprised with China,” Milei said during the interview with Giménez. “We had a meeting with the ambassador and, the next day, they unlocked the swap for us.”
Will Javier Milei meet Xi Jinping?
While it is still unclear when Milei will travel to China exactly, Chief of Staff Francos said the date would likely be confirmed in the coming days. “It’ll be in the month of January, I don’t know the exact date. That’s to be coordinated now with Chinese President Xi Jinping,” he said, indicating a possible meeting between the two leaders.
“The truth is, Argentina and China have an important trade relationship,” Francos told Radio Mitre on Monday morning. “China has always acted efficiently and responded to requests our country has made in complex situations.”
“Despite ideological differences, trade relationships with a country with the scope and history of China cannot be ignored in any way.”
