Key Points
- Milei says he is building an unnamed bloc involving about ten countries.
- He is copying a proven tactic: turn politics into a permanent cross-border network.
- China will be the first hard test, because commerce and geopolitics are intertwined.
In Latin America, elections are the spotlight. Alliances are the backstage. One of the best-known backstage machines began in 1990: the leftist São Paulo Forum.
It helped parties coordinate across borders, keep a shared story line, and rally to each other’s defense. Javier Milei is now trying to build the mirror image.
In a CNN interview recorded in December and teased ahead of its full January 11 broadcast, the Argentine president said he is “actively working” to form a new bloc and that “about ten” countries are in the conversations. He offered no name and no list.
That vagueness is tactical. It invites buy-in, while partners avoid domestic blowback. The pitch lands because the map has shifted. Milei has governed Argentina since December 2023.
Paraguay, Panama, and El Salvador are already led by right-leaning administrations. Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa secured a full term in the April 13, 2025 runoff. Bolivia swore in Rodrigo Paz on November 8, 2025.
Chile elected José Antonio Kast on December 14, 2025, with inauguration due March 11, 2026. Honduras declared Nasry Asfura president-elect on December 24, 2025, and he is scheduled to take office on January 27, 2026.
What’s behind the headline is durability. A bloc does not need a treaty to matter. It can coordinate votes in regional bodies, standardize language on crime and migration, and harden lines on Venezuela.
It can also synchronize policy swings, changing risk for investors and neighbors. China is where the plan could splinter.
Challenged on Donald Trump’s push to curb Beijing’s influence while Argentina keeps major commercial links with China, Milei argued geopolitics and trade should be handled separately. That separation is easy to say and hard to keep.
Related coverage: Brazil’s Morning Call | Trump Threatens Military Action If Iran Cracks Down On Prote This is part of The Rio Times’ daily coverage of Latin American culture and lifestyle.
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