Argentina’s Milei to seek free trade agreement with the US
Buenos Aires Herald | 14 November 2024
Argentina’s Milei to seek free trade agreement with the US
Argentine President Javier Milei said he will seek a free trade agreement with the United States and expects the incoming Trump administration to “support” his government with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He also said that he will pursue more trade opportunities with China and confirmed he will travel to Beijing in March.
Milei gave these statements to media outlet Radio Rivadavia on Wednesday. During the interview, he also gave details about his recent conversation with the U.S. president-elect.
“It was an 11-minute phone call. I congratulated him and said that the world was a better place considering that the wokes had been defeated,” Milei stated, adding that the two have a “great relationship.”
“We believe that in these circumstances, we can move forward in new trade deals with the United States,” he said. Asked if he meant to pursue a free trade agreement, he answered “exactly.”
Regarding the IMF and the possibility of fresh funds for the country, Milei said that the pair had not addressed the topic because those discussions “move along different channels.” The Argentine president did say that his administration is working on a new deal with the Fund, and he expects the Trump administration’s “support in these deals.”
The libertarian economist went on to say that he and Trump also discussed how to make their countries “great again” and even explored ways in which tech billionaire Elon Musk could emulate what Deregulation Minister Federico Sturzenegger is doing in Argentina. Together with businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk is set to head the new Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump presidency.
“It’s clear that the [U.S.] president-elect is much more comfortable with me than with other leaders,” Milei added.
Despite the Argentine president’s enthusiasm for a Trump administration, it remains to be seen if his goals of more trade with Washington are a viable option. Prior to the election, Michael Paarlberg, associate professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, told the Herald that Trump is a “nativist and economic nationalist, interested more in protecting U.S. industries than promoting global free trade.”
In fact, he added that regardless of the outcome of the election, it was unlikely more trade opportunities would open as neither party was interested in pursuing new free trade agreements.
“Both will be oriented toward industrial policy and nearshoring, something countries neighboring the United States are better positioned to take advantage of than Argentina.”
Milei will travel on November 14 and 15 to the United States to meet with President-elect Donald Trump before the latter’s inauguration on January 20. The Argentine government is waiting for details from the Trump staff to confirm the date and place of the meeting.
During the interview, President Milei said he also intends to pursue more trade opportunities with China and said that he will attend the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC, for its Spanish initials) in March 2025. The meeting is a regional summit established in 2014 aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two parties.
