Argentine President Javier Milei is preparing for his first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, despite once mocking the Asian country, saying he would never make deals with communists.
The meeting with Jinping, which, according to Milei’s spokesperson this Saturday, should take place in parallel with the G20 summit, shows how far the libertarian economist has come in his thinking since his electoral victory a year ago.
Describing his likely foreign policy in an interview following his surprise victory in the August 2023 primaries, Milei minced no words on China: “Would you negotiate with a murderer?”
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China is important for Argentina
But the Asian giant is a major buyer of Argentine commodities and a key source of financing for the crisis-prone South American nation.
So, gradually, Milei changed his speech, in relation to the Chinese, after taking office in December last year.
He has exchanged letters with Xi and talks emerged in June about an official visit to Beijing, although firm plans have not yet materialized.
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Milei, however, is also getting closer to Donald Trump, who has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 60% on Chinese products.
The this week to congratulate the president-elect in person at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Milei hopes that Trump’s presidency can help smooth negotiations between Argentina and the International Monetary Fund over its $44 billion program.
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So when Milei meets Xi next week in Rio de Janeiro, he will likely also be thinking about his potential benefactor in Washington as he negotiates with China’s communist leader.
©2024 Bloomberg LP
Ricardo Bellino from Ensina
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