Unless there are dramatic developments on the COVID front, Argentine President Alberto Fernández’s will be visiting China for four days Feb. 4-8, coinciding with the opening of Beijing’s Winter Olympics, including a meeting with President Xi Jinping, and a likely meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin who will also be attending the Olympics in China at the same time, El Cronista Comercial reported Jan. 9. Because of the pandemic, the visit, twice-postponed, will include a small Argentine delegation of only 15 people and will follow China’s strict COVID protocols. Its much anticipated highlight will be the Argentine President’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative, by which his government will seek Chinese financing for 17 infrastructure projects and also strengthen its strategic partnership with Beijing.
That Fernández has just succeeded Mexico as President Pro Tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is also significant, as China and CELAC maintain a close collaborative relationship through the China-CELAC Forum. On Dec. 3, 2021 China and CELAC signed their Joint Action Plan for Cooperation in Key Areas (2022-2024) outlining an ambitious agenda for cooperation across an array of areas.
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjbxw/202112/t20211207_10463459.html
