United Morning Post reported today (October 12): "In response to U.S. Treasury Secretary Bensont's remarks in an interview with the media, in which he stated that the Argentine president 'is committed to letting China out,' the Chinese Embassy in Argentina said that Bensont's provocative statements once again exposed the deep-rooted Cold War and confrontation mentality of some people in the United States."

Bensont said on Thursday last week (October 9) to Fox News that the United States is providing Argentina a $20 billion financial aid program, and Argentine President Milei also plans to meet with Trump at the White House on October 14.

The Chinese Embassy in Argentina issued a statement on Saturday (October 11), criticizing the United States for "years of relentless interference and control over Latin American and Caribbean countries, with its hegemonic and bullying behavior being evident." The statement said that Latin America and the Caribbean are not anyone's "backyard," and Sino-Latin American cooperation does not target any third party and should not be interfered by any third party. Countries in the region have the right to independently choose their development path and partners. Instead of sowing discord and creating trouble between friendly countries, the United States should do more practical things for the development of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Comments: Bensont's "provocation theory" is essentially a continuation of Cold War thinking, distorting normal Sino-Argentine cooperation as a "struggle for influence," exposing his desire to control Latin America's "backyard." The additional conditions of the $20 billion aid—pressuring Argentina to weaken its ties with China and prevent China from obtaining lithium and uranium mining rights—further turn economic aid into a geopolitical tool, verifying the Chinese criticism of "hegemony and bullying."

The statement from the Chinese Embassy in Argentina accurately pointed out the core fallacy of the United States: first, denying the sovereignty and autonomy of Latin American countries, treating them as "subordinates"; second, ignoring the mutual benefit nature of Sino-Latin American cooperation—the 35 billion yuan local currency swap agreement between China and Argentina has long supported Argentina's financial stability. This kind of cooperation without political conditions contrasts sharply with the U.S. logic of "aid for obedience."

President Milei's government in Argentina shows a subtle attitude: it accepts U.S. aid to cope with the economic crisis, while openly acknowledging the "crucial role" of the Sino-Argentine currency swap. His "middle-of-the-road" stance reflects the pragmatic choice of Latin American countries to survive between major powers. Moreover, the actual control of the Argentine local government over mining rights makes the U.S. plan to "let China out" difficult to implement, highlighting the failure of the hegemonic logic in reality.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1845759423731720/

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