【By Observer Net, Chen Sijia】 Recently, the U.S. government has been frequently pressuring the Argentine government, trying to interfere with the 40-meter radio telescope project (CART) between China and Argentina. A batch of important components sent by China have been detained by the Argentine customs for more than two months, causing repeated delays in the construction of CART, which has raised concerns among Argentine scientists.

According to a report from Hong Kong's South China Morning Post on November 12, scientists from the National University of San Juan in Argentina have met with the Argentine customs, and the customs listened to the scientists' opinions and decided to inspect the detained parts. Scientists believe that in order to overcome the obstruction by the United States and accelerate the progress of customs release, the Argentine government must take measures and use political influence to support the CART project.

The cooperation agreement for the CART project was initially signed in 2015 by the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Argentine National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), the San Juan Provincial Government, and the National University of San Juan, and received support from the International Astronomical Union and the Argentine Astronomical Society.

As the largest single-dish radio telescope in Latin America, once completed, CART is expected to bring new breakthroughs in star formation, pulsar research, and exploration of the center of the Milky Way. CART is also expected to coordinate with the 500-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in Guizhou, China, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in northern Chile, playing a role in the international observation network.

However, Argentine scientists involved in the CART project stated that due to Argentina failing to renew the China-Argentina science cooperation agreement on time in June, the Argentine customs detained a batch of components sent by China from September 3rd, leading to the project's completion date, originally scheduled for March next year, being delayed.

The South China Morning Post reported that the National University of San Juan held a meeting with the Argentine customs department on November 5th local time to discuss the issue of releasing the goods.

CART Project Construction Site, South China Morning Post

Pablo Diez, the head of science and technology at the National University of San Juan, who attended the hearing, said: "This was a productive meeting, as they listened to our opinions and will focus on ensuring that the project continues to move forward. We hope that we can complete the assembly of the radio telescope in the near future."

Tadeo Berenguer, vice rector of the National University of San Juan, stated in a post-meeting statement: "We know there are four containers from China at the Buenos Aires port. The Argentine customs has decided to inspect the containers, including construction materials. Some customs procedures still need to be completed to release the goods."

Berenguer said: "We hope to restart the dialogue and find the political will needed for the development of scientific sovereignty in Argentina."

Jorge Castro, dean of the School of Precision, Physics, and Natural Sciences at the National University of San Juan, revealed that during the hearing, the customs asked why these components entered Argentina. "We explained that the university and the National Astronomical Observatory of China had an international agreement. However, after checking all these documents, they could not provide us with information on when the goods would be released."

He believes that the Argentine political circle needs to take measures to use political influence to support the CART project. "This unusual inspection must be resolved through political decisions." Castro said that in order to prove the necessity of building CART, Argentine researchers provided sufficient technical and scientific arguments. "But now we face issues in the political field. Those who have legitimacy and representation in the political field must use their influence to provide support."

Castro has requested help from the San Juan provincial government, believing that "although this is a scientific project, the opinion and participation of the governor are very helpful in solving the problem." He pointed out that the delay of the CART project has become a topic of national concern in Argentina, which has sparked public interest in the project.

Regarding the meeting with the National University of San Juan, the Argentine customs department has not yet made any comments.

It is widely speculated that the obstacles faced by the CART project are related to the Argentine president Milei, who is closely related to U.S. President Trump and is seeking U.S. support. In October, during the meeting between Trump and Milei at the White House, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bassett threatened the Milei government with $20 billion in economic aid to suspend the strategic cooperation with China, including the plans to build "observation facilities."

On October 17, the Milei government also issued new regulations requiring "the construction of any radar, observatory, or aerospace system" to be approved by the Ministry of Defense. This has caused concern for Ricardo Podestá, the director of the Felix Aguilard Observatory, where CART is being built. "CART is 100% a scientific project. If it were a military project, everyone would see it immediately."

Roberto Salvarezza, chairman of the Buenos Aires Scientific Research Committee, bluntly stated, "The policies of the Milei government are purely a display of loyalty to the Trump administration, harming the interests of the entire Argentine astronomy community, which is really excessive."

Castro said he has contacted Jose Asad Peluc, a member of Milei's camp, but has not received any reply yet. Castro added that his research team has maintained contact with Chinese partners, "they have expressed their concern about the project."

Previously, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jia Kun stated that Latin America and the Caribbean are not the backyard of anyone. China-Latin America cooperation does not target third parties and should not be interfered with by third parties. Countries in the region have the right to independently choose their development path and partners. The U.S. should stop sowing discord and creating trouble, and do some practical things for the development of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

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