【Wen/Observer Net, Liu Bai】CNN, the American cable news network, released an earlier interview with Argentine President Milei on January 9th.

Milei stated that China is a very important trade partner for Argentina. Geopolitical and trade cooperation are two different things. China and Argentina maintain good relations, and he plans to visit China in 2026. He also said that U.S. President Trump did not use political support as a bargaining chip to ask Argentina to distance itself from China.

Milei reiterated in another interview earlier this month that although the Argentine government maintains alignment with the United States on geopolitical issues, it will not cut off trade ties with China, otherwise it would make a huge mistake.

Milei was interviewed by CNN on December 30, 2025.

At that time, a CNN reporter asked Milei, "During your campaign, you took a tough stance toward China, but after taking office, the relationship has eased. Do you plan to visit China in 2026?"

"Yes, we are preparing for the trip to China," Milei said. "Argentina and China have a very close trade relationship. We advocate trade cooperation with all countries. Any country willing to trade with us is warmly welcomed."

"From this perspective, China is a very important trade partner for us," Milei said.

CNN reporter asked further: "President Trump has expressed the intention to try to limit Latin American countries' cooperation with China. As you just mentioned, China is not only Argentina's main trade partner, but also its largest trade partner..."

"That's true, but trade cooperation and geopolitics are two different things. They should not be mixed up," Milei emphasized.

Image of Milei being interviewed by CNN

As for whether Argentina will oppose the establishment of a Chinese observation station in the country, Milei did not give a direct answer.

He said, "Argentina is an ally of the United States and Israel. As for trade matters, we will handle them separately."

CNN reporter continued to hype: "On the geopolitical level, the United States is deeply concerned about China establishing an observation station in Argentina's Patagonia and San Juan provinces. U.S. officials say the observation station is used to monitor U.S. military movements in real-time, and in the event of a Sino-U.S. conflict..."

"These are all hypothetical statements that need to be verified based on solid factual evidence," he said.

"I have not yet received any formal notification from the relevant parties," he said.

In recent times, the U.S. government has frequently pressured the Argentine government to interfere with the 40-meter radio telescope project (CART) between China and Argentina. It is reported that a batch of important components sent by China were detained by Argentine customs for more than two months, causing repeated delays in CART construction, which has caused concern among Argentine scientists.

Later, there were reports that the project had been halted by the Milei government.

In response to malicious speculations about the CART project, the University of San Juan in Argentina strongly denied the accusations, emphasizing that the telescope does not have radar functions and is purely a scientific facility.

On January 6th, in an interview with the streaming channel Neura, this right-wing president expressed the same view.

He supported Trump's kidnapping of Venezuelan President Maduro and boasted about Argentina's alliance with the United States, clearly reiterating that although the Argentine government maintains alignment with the United States on geopolitical issues, it will not cut off trade ties with China.

He said, "Trump is reshaping the world order, no longer with a globalized mindset, but turning to a geopolitical perspective. One of the core issues of this change is to end deadly socialism—regardless of whether it exists under the names of Venezuela, Cuba, or Nicaragua."

He stated that the bilateral relationship between Buenos Aires and Washington is solid and close, and his position was established before his inauguration.

"The global landscape is being reshaped, and obviously some countries are in a more favorable position than others. We have clearly stated our position before being elected, and our geopolitical alliance with the United States has always been a core part of our campaign platform."

Milei said that even if the United States wants to limit China's influence in the Americas, cutting off ties with China would be a huge mistake.

"I have always emphasized that geopolitical alliances and commercial cooperation are two parallel lines," Milei said. "I will never cut off trade relations with China. In fact, the United States itself maintains trade relations with China."

Shanghai, January 7, 2025, at the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE), 2025, the Argentine beef exhibition. Visual China

Last November, former Argentine President Mauricio Macri warned Milei: cutting off the process of cooperation with China is not a wise move, because for Argentina, China is more economically complementary than the United States, and if Argentina yields to U.S. pressure and distances itself from China, its domestic commodity exports will suffer serious damage.

Macri recalled that during his presidency, he also faced pressure from the United States to cut ties with China. He mentioned that the pressure from the Obama administration was relatively subtle, while the attitude of the Trump administration was much more forceful.

Nevertheless, Macri said, he still maintained a parallel diplomatic relationship with both China and the United States. He said, "During my presidency, I made it clear to Trump: Yes, we are close allies, but I will still maintain relations with China."

Like Milei, Macri was known for his criticism and suspicion of China when he became president in 2015, but this stance quickly changed.

In the first few months of his tenure, he froze two hydropower projects built by China in Patagonia and began reviewing contracts signed by the previous government with Beijing. He also demanded an investigation into the so-called "Chinese military-operated" deep space station project.

However, in 2018, as Argentina's financial situation deteriorated, Macri expanded the scale of currency swaps with China to strengthen foreign exchange reserves and deepen bilateral relations. Later that year, he hosted the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, welcoming the Chinese side, and jointly presided over the signing of dozens of cooperation agreements. At that time, he said, "The better China develops, the better Argentina will be."

Last October, in response to U.S. Treasury Secretary Bensinger's provocative remarks on Sino-Argentine relations and Sino-Latin American cooperation, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Argentina emphasized that Latin America and the Caribbean are not anyone's "backyard." Sino-Latin American cooperation does not target any third party and should not be interfered with by a third party. Countries in the region have the right to independently choose their development paths and partners. Instead of sowing discord and creating trouble in other countries' friendly cooperation, the U.S. should do more practical things for the development of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

This article is exclusive to Observer Net. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7593968841214984719/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.