The situation of the Chinese base in Neuquén was the focus of the conversations that the head of the United States Southern Command Laura Richardson had with senior government officials during her visit to the country. In La Rosada they insist that the issue was not discussed during the reception that Javier Milei offered to the military in Ushuaia, but until the end of Friday,
rumors were encouraged
around the President that could lead to a large diplomatic clash with the Asian giant. the country's second trading partner.
Hours after US ambassador Marc Stanley expressed - in an interview with La Nación and prior to Richardson's arrival - his surprise at Argentina's alleged tolerance of a Chinese military base, the Government announced that
it would promote "an inspection "
to the aerospace observation base, as portrayed by Clarín..
Overhead image of the base. Photo: Reuters
Officials with permanent access to the presidential office revealed this Friday - before Richardson leaves the country - that the Government is considering
interrupting the contract with Beijing
for the base located in Bajada del Agrio, Neuquén, which both countries signed in 2012. "On Monday There could be news," they said without further details.
In several of the ministries involved they were much more cautious. They highlighted first that the Government plans to visit the base, but not inspect it. They did not clarify whether this route would be carried out by technicians or senior government officials. "A priori there is no information that any military activity is carried out there"; they expressed.
In fact, they highlighted that the National Commission for Space Activities carries out exploration activities on site. "We have 10% of the use of the facilities," they emphasized closer to the position of the Chinese embassy after the statements of the American ambassador. "Instead of the aforementioned military calls, scientists from both Argentina and China have access to the use of this station for scientific research," said the diplomat of the Asian power.
Stanley, who accompanied Richardson in each of his meetings with Argentine officials and with the President, had been categorical about the operation of the base. "With regard to the Chinese, I am surprised that Argentina allows the Chinese Armed Forces to operate in Neuquén, secretly, doing who knows what. I understand that these are Chinese army soldiers who operate this space telescope, I don't know what do, I think the Argentines don't know either, and they should understand why the Chinese are deployed there," the diplomat said.
The provincial government of Rolando Figueroa supported the possibility of the Government moving forward with inspections. "Maximum transparency must be ensured in the development of the activities that are the subject of said agreements," he said in a statement.
The president of Argentina, Javier Milei (2i), and the commander of the United States Southern Command, Laura Richardson, pose with the United States ambassador to Argentina, Marc Stanley (l), and the Argentine Minister of Defense, Luis Petri , during the meeting at dawn this Friday in Ushuaia, the southernmost town in Argentina, and known as 'the city at the end of the world'.
Although authorized sources from the Government highlight that the Government is studying the fine print of the contract, in the Cabinet there are also voices that relativize changes in the agreement in the short term. "A suspension could never be immediate or unilateral," they stressed. The minimum period to approve any addendum to the 50-year bilateral contract is five years.
Since his inauguration, the Milei administration has created short circuits with China. After criticism during the campaign, the Government delayed the appointment of ambassador Marcelo Suárez Salvia so much that China called its own ambassador for consultation. The flirtation of the Argentine authorities with Taiwan also generated resentments in the bilateral relationship. The suspension of the construction of dams in Santa Cruz by Chinese consortiums also fueled diplomatic exchanges. The Chinese embassy in Argentina weeks ago corrected presidential spokesperson
Manuel Adorni
who had indicated that Chinese trucks had arrived in the country to be used during the pandemic with a delay of almost two years when in reality it was a Defense agreement.