Foreign Ministers of Argentina and China agree to deepen strategic partnership

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero and his Chinese counterpart, State Councilor, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed to deepen “the comprehensive strategic partnership” between the two countries in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’ summit in Rome.

According to a statement from the Argentine Foreign Ministry, both ministers highlighted the “excellent state of bilateral ties” and ratified their interest “in continuing to deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” between the two countries “by expanding it to new areas of cooperation”.

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This was the first high-level face-to-face audience with China since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cafiero expressed his gratitude for the invitation extended to Argentine President Alberto Fernandez to make a State visit to China next year after the two parties highlighted the fluidity of bilateral exchanges at the highest level.

In the review of the main issues of common interest, the foreign ministers pointed out “the progress in space, nuclear and cultural cooperation” and “the common visions on the defense of multilateralism and the promotion of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

Meanwhile, they agreed that there is still “great potential to be developed in financial, trade and investment matters”, emphasizing the perspective opened up by exchanges in sectors of the knowledge economy.

The foreign ministers also discussed “continuing efforts for a balanced and more diversified trade exchange” and to this end committed themselves “to boost dialogue at the technical level, between the various agencies of both countries”.

In addressing post-pandemic reconstruction, the ministers agreed “on the urgency of finding a solution to the unequal global distribution of vaccines” and “facilitating the production” of serums “through the transfer of technology and adequate financing for developing countries”.

They recalled “the intense health cooperation” undertaken since 2020, which included donations, procurement of medical supplies, and agreements for covid-19 vaccines.

Argentina thanked China, a member of the United Nations Decolonization Committee, for its constant support in the sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom over the Malvinas [Falklands] Islands and congratulated it on holding the XXIV Winter Olympic Games scheduled to take place in Beijing next February.