BUENOS AIRES, November 21. /TASS/. President-elect of Argentina Javier Milei’s idea that the government stay out of any commerce with China is hardly realistic and will harm domestic companies, Director of the Sino-Argentine Observatory Patricio Giusto told TASS.
"This position is hardly realistic from the viewpoint of the nature of bilateral relations. Relations with China are defined by strategic agreements at the interstate level, and they are very important for laying the groundwork for trade and investment," he said.
Without the state, "Argentine companies will not be able to negotiate with their Chinese partners," the expert said. "This model is unsustainable. Private firms need answers to questions concerning foreign trade, namely about taxes, duties, phytosanitary agreements, trade preferences. There are frameworks, into which governments logically intervene, and it is necessary to conduct negotiations on improving the conditions for making those mechanisms work," he noted.
The president-elect’s position against developing interstate relations with China due to his disagreement with Communist ideas, is absurd from the viewpoint of Argentina’s interests, Giusto said. "If Milei sticks to this, it’s hard to say where relations will go. A total collapse is possible, a very serious diplomatic conflict. Hopefully this will not occur," he added.
On November 19, the second round of presidential elections took place in Argentina. Javier Milei, a libertarian MP running for the right-wing Freedom Advances alliance, defeated Economy Minister Sergio Massa. The president-elect has repeatedly said that he does not intend to expand relations with Brazil, China or Russia because he disagrees with the policy of these countries, adding though that he would not prevent private enterprises from doing business with them.