After denying “pacts with communists”, Milei meets with Xi Jinping, president of China

One of the flags of the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, is not to make “pacts with communists”, touted throughout his electoral campaign and, still present today in posts on social media. Even if it is just a rhetorical alternative to scare his followers, pragmatically the Argentine has had to go back, in recent days, on countless bravado he promotes.

This Tuesday (19), for example, he met with the communist president, Xi Jinping, of China, during the G20, taking place in Brazil. Milei also signed the Global Action against Hunger and Poverty and the group’s final declaration, which calls for peace in Gaza and the taxation of large fortunes.

These contradictions show, especially to the Argentine president’s ideological audience, that politics cannot be done on social media and with provocative statements.

Even if against his will, Milei had already rethought his position on China. Not that this is the only diplomatic problem this year has created. Episodes with Spain, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil (including during this G20, when sharing posts and memes involving President Lula) have already occurred.

read more: Argentine delegation abandons climate conference on order of Milei

In relation to Xi Jinping, after the campaign he softened his position and sought diplomacy to respond to congratulations on the election. Now, during the G20, which takes place in Rio de Janeiro, they had a bilateral meeting.

In turn, Milei respectfully posted a photo of the two greeting each other.

In a statement, Chinese government spokesperson Hua Chunying said that “President Milei values ​​the friendly relations between Argentina and China and expressed his willingness to continue to deepen binational cooperation, for which President Xi expressed the your appreciation.”

According to the Argentine newspaper Clarionthe meeting exchanged invitations for official visits to the countries and an agenda to deepen trade agreements.

The newspaper Page 12also Argentine, highlighted the meeting that seemed unlikely at the time Milei was campaigning: “After the tensions in the bilateral relationship and the Argentine president’s repeated statements that he would not make “pacts with the communists”, Javier Milei held a bilateral meeting with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. ”

G20

During the G20 summit meetings, the Argentine also had to take a few steps back in relation to what he thinks. Initially opposed to the Global Action against Hunger and Poverty successfully launched under Brazilian leadership, Milei signed the document so as not to be isolated as the only country not to sign an initiative that could be revolutionary.

The same happened with the group’s final resolution. With great coordination, Brazilian diplomacy managed to display its flags and the approval of all member countries. Milei had the final space to make his considerations and ideological oppositions to the document at the Leaders’ Summit, but in the end he did not leave Argentina out.

For the next multilateral meetings from 2025 onwards, it remains to be seen whether Milei will have the same soft and pragmatic stance that she has now, or whether she is just waiting for Trump to return to the scene to hide in his shadow and become radical again.