Javier Milei set off Wednesday for his 14th trip to the United States, to take part in the inaugural session of President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” initiative, according to a report from Buenos Aires. Milei is also expected to attend Trump’s regional summit in Miami on March 7 with Latin American leaders aligned with the White House’s political agenda.
The visits come as Trump’s administration seeks to bolster alliances to counter Chinese influence in Latin America, the Associated Press reported. Milei, however, is trying to steer a diplomatic course that reshapes Argentina’s foreign policy to align with Washington while keeping—if not deepening—economic ties with Beijing, even as China remains Argentina’s largest trading partner.
AP reported that Milei may have used harsh language for Beijing’s Communist government during the campaign, including describing it as an “assassin.” Still, two years into his presidency, experts told the wire service that it has become increasingly clear Argentina cannot walk away from China, particularly because Argentina relies on Chinese demand for South America’s energy, food and minerals.
Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin American program at the Wilson Center, told AP that “Argentina relies on China’s insatiable demand for South America’s energy, food and minerals, and the United States will never replace that market.” Mariano Turzi, a professor of international relations at Austral University outside Buenos Aires, said Milei’s administration has sought to distance itself from China in rhetoric even as China gained ground in Argentina during Milei’s “anti-communist” libertarian rule.
The data described by AP show that commercial ties with China have kept expanding. China was Argentina’s biggest trading partner last December, the wire service said, citing Argentina’s official statistics agency for the most recent month with available data. AP reported that Argentine exports to China rose 125% year-on-year and imports rose 26% in that period, after Argentina’s exports had overtaken Brazil in the earlier three-month stretch.
At the same time, AP reported that Milei’s economic approach—designed to curb inflation and ease strict capital controls—has helped some businesses while harming others. The wire service said Milei’s removal of tariff barriers and cuts to public works budgets have hurt local manufacturers in Argentina, with manufacturers warning of unfair foreign competition, especially from China.
One example AP cited was the tiremaker Fate, which shut down operations on Wednesday and laid off more than 900 employees. Fate’s statement, AP reported, cited “changes in market conditions,” which local media widely interpreted as a reference to competition with China among other factors. AP said Argentina’s ministry of labor ordered a 15-day suspension of the layoffs on Thursday to give the company and union time to negotiate, even as the company indicated it was closing regardless.
Beyond trade figures, AP said China has supported infrastructure and investment across sectors in Argentina, including hydroelectric dams and solar energy parks, as well as financing in the mining industry. AP also cited China’s Ganfeng Lithium investments in Argentina’s lithium deposits, and noted that the U.S. claims a Chinese space facility in Neuquén province could be used for military purposes.
In Washington-leaning diplomacy, AP described U.S. efforts to push for limiting China’s role in Argentina. The wire service said that shortly after Trump’s contentious Argentina bailout, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that Milei was “committed to getting China out” of Argentina. But AP reported that months later, there is little evidence of that aim in the way Argentine officials describe the relationship.
AP said Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno told reporters in Buenos Aires that a sweeping trade agreement signed earlier this month does not imply that China cannot participate or will not participate in investments in Argentina. In AP’s reporting, Gedan at the Wilson Center argued that, for all of Milei’s outreach to Washington, Argentina stands as “a great example of the limitations of the Monroe Doctrine.”