Cooperation and dependency in the bilateral relationship between China and Argentina:

An analysis of Chinese loans and investments in the context of accession to the Belt and Road Initiative

Abstract

The People's Republic of China is an integral strategic partner of great importance for Argentina. The growth in the importance of Chinese investments and loans in Argentina and Latin America has responded to China's foreign policy strategy, which has launched numerous programs to consolidate its international leadership in the context of a dispute with the United States. In February 2022, Argentina joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Although the signing of the memorandum is still too recent to assess its impact, in this paper we intend to make a contribution to the understanding of the economic, political and geopolitical reasons that explain the entry into the BRI and the effects that this fact could have on the future of bilateral relations and in Argentina's development strategy. For this, we first analyze the foreign policy strategy and the consolidation of China's international leadership within the framework of the Go Out program and the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative, and we present its specific foreign policy strategy for Latin America. and for Argentina through an analysis of direct investments and loans from state banks, mainly Eximbank and China Development Bank (CDB).