Javier Milei’s Argentina looks to veteran diplomat to mend ties with China: reports
- Milei, a vocal critic of Beijing, looks set to appoint long-serving envoy Marcelo Suarez Salvia as ambassador
- Both countries have learned to navigate their ideological differences, analyst says
The decision to nominate Marcelo Suarez Salvia, a career diplomat now serving as the top envoy to Trinidad and Tobago, followed several rounds of formal and informal negotiations between Buenos Aires and Beijing, Argentina’s Clarin newspaper reported.
According to the news portal El Zonda, Beijing has received the proposal for Salvia’s appointment and informed Buenos Aires that it would accept it.
Relations between Argentina – one of South America’s biggest economies – and China have been strained since Milei, who campaigned on cutting ties with China, was sworn in two weeks ago.
Milei, a right-wing libertarian, pledged to realign his country with the United States and downgrade relations with China, the top buyer of Argentinian soybeans and beef. China is also a key investor in Argentina’s lithium industry as well as a range of infrastructure, from railways to solar farms.