Speaking Dec. 21 at an event in Buenos Aires, Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero confirmed that President Alberto Fernández’s government will officially join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) when he visits Beijing next year, as soon as a date is definitely established. Fernández was officially invited to attend the Winter Olympics in February, but given the pandemic situation and the fact that the local political opposition just sabotaged passage of his 2022 budget, which will affect negotiations with the IMF, it’s not clear whether he can or will attend, the Parana-based newspaper El Diario (https://www.eldiarioar.com/) reported Dec. 21. And on Dec. 2, Argentina’s ambassador in Beijing Sabino Vaca Narvaja also announced that his government will join the BRI next year, when the two nations will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations. The BRI will help to create a “more harmonious world,” he said, speaking at the 2021 Belt and Road Trade and Investment Forum
Also referencing the 50 years of diplomatic relations, Cafiero emphasized “we want to reinforce that relationship,” El Cronista reported him saying Dec. 21. He was speaking to a group of journalists at an event organized by the Argentine Center for International Affairs (CARI), to whom he emphasized that the President “has had a commitment for some time to move forward” with the BRI and the government is conducting the necessary studies to adapt the BRI “to Argentina’s economic and infrastructural needs.” This also involves looking at what new financing might be offered and how it will complement 16 priority projects already discussed with China. Last week Cafiero met with Chinese Ambassador Zou Xiaoli to discuss them. Needless to day, Washington is extremely unhappy about these developments and has pressured Argentina to distance itself from China.
