BUENOS AIRES, Aug 6 (Reuters) – China’s embassy in Argentina accused the United States of using visa revocations to obstruct cooperation between a local company and China’s Huawei, calling the move an affront to sovereignty and free-market principles.
“The U.S. embassy in Argentina has deliberately promoted the so-called ‘China threat theory,’ broadened the concept of national security, and, through visa revocations, blatantly hindered normal cooperation,” the Chinese embassy said in a statement published on social media late on Wednesday.
The U.S. embassy in Argentina did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, a close ally of Argentine President Javier Milei, has expressed concern about Chinese influence in Latin America — including Argentina, which has Beijing as its second-largest trading partner.
Chinese and Argentine central banks earlier this week renewed a bilateral currency swap agreement for five years totaling 130 billion yuan ($19.3 billion).
($1 = 6.7488 Chinese yuan renminbi)
(Reporting by Agustin Marcarian and Lucinda Elliott in Buenos Aires; Editing by Gabriel Araujo)