Javier Milei, Argentina's new far-right president, has initiated a significant shift in the country's foreign policy by distancing Argentina from China, its second-largest export market and a crucial source of infrastructure finance and hard currency loans. Milei's skepticism towards Beijing, described as an 'arm's length relationship' and a 'startling U-turn,' represents a dramatic departure from Argentina's previous stance, which included hosting a Chinese-run space station in Patagonia and celebrating historical ties between China and Argentina. This pivot, characterized as a 'stunning turnabout,' poses a diplomatic challenge for China and offers the United States an unexpected opportunity to provide alternatives to Chinese trade and investment. Milei's approach, encapsulated by his statement 'We don’t make deals with communists' and his clear stance of being 'no friend to Xi Jinping,' has raised questions about whether Western partners can replace China's role in Argentina. His idiosyncrasies, such as cloning dogs, have also garnered attention, as noted in @WarOnTheRocks.
Throughout his winning campaign, Javier Milei of Argentina made it clear he would be no friend to Xi Jinping. Now that Milei is in office, that policy promises a dramatic reordering of Argentina’s international relations. https://t.co/iRU0E03KAg
Milei’s approach to China (“We don’t make deals with communists”) is a startling U-turn for Argentina. His predecessor “celebrated the centennial of the Chinese Community Party by reminiscing about the friendship between Juan Perón and Mao Zedong,” I wrote in @WarOnTheRocks. https://t.co/3FTebzrz46
Javier Milei’s pivot away from China is a stunning turnabout for Argentina, I wrote in @WarOnTheRocks, a country that has long courted Beijing, even agreeing to host a space station in Patagonia run by the People’s Liberation Army. https://t.co/foTC6zGSYc
"For China, Argentina’s new far-right president Javier Milei poses a diplomatic challenge," writes @BenjaminGedan. "Paradoxically, Milei is also a test for the United States." https://t.co/copshZSTkF
Javier Milei’s arm’s length relationship with Beijing is an enormous gamble, I wrote in @WarOnTheRocks. China is Argentina’s #2 export market and a critical source of infrastructure finance and hard currency loans. Can Western partners take its place? https://t.co/foTC6zGSYc
Why Washington Should Side with Argentina’s Milei Against Beijing https://t.co/0S9Nz2vaJG
Javier Milei’s skepticism of Beijing “promises a dramatic reordering of Argentina’s international relations” and “presents the United States with an unexpected opportunity to offer alternatives to Chinese trade and investment,” I write in @WarOnTheRocks. https://t.co/T18XIOPLv1
Javier Milei’s idiosyncrasies, including his cloned dogs, have overshadowed the most radical item on his platform — a foreign policy designed to distance Argentina from China, a top trading partner, I write in @WarOnTheRocks. https://t.co/T18XIOPLv1
The reality of what Milei is doing to Argentina: https://t.co/K6JirTFtpi