Once again, Argentina was in the middle of the geopolitical dispute between China and the United States. On this occasion our country can be a reason for conflict between both nations due to the construction of a logistics pole and a naval base integrated in the city of Ushuaia, which would be the direct entrance door to Antarctica. The new head of the South Command of the US Department of defense, Alvin Holsey, was visiting Argentina and, after meeting at Casa Rosada with President Javier Milei, finished his trip with a tour of the city of Ushuaia. Holsey went to check that China is not installing the integrated naval base in Tierra del Fuego, as its predecessor in office, Laura Richardson, had informed her superiors. Both from China and the Argentine government deny that this is so and experts in the area ensure that the most pertinent and convenient for Argentina would be that this strategic investment for the country be done with national funds, that is, without asking for money from any of the two countries, or China, or the United States. For now, nothing thrives.
Richardson was convinced that China had advanced in the construction “of a base”, and that the United States should prevent it. The current government authorities assured Hosey that the Chinese government did not put money to advance in the construction of any base and that the works are paralyzed. Moreover, they say they never started. But, beyond that, Holsey wanted to check the same. The United States government, as explained to this newspaper who are aware of those conversations, would not have offered money to advance with the construction of the integrated naval base, but “they simply want the Chinese not to win land.”
Argentina-and all of Latin America-are at this time a territory in dispute between the two world powers. Donald Trump’s government, taking advantage of Javier Milei’s fanaticism towards his country, does not let the opportunity to plant the flag and try to block any Chinese attempt to advance in the region. Holsey’s visit was not the first in that regard: two weeks ago the US Treasury secretary, Scott Besent, also came to the country, and also lowered the same message.
In his case, Besent spoke badly about China at a press conference that gave from Casa Rosada with Milei. He said that this country closed “raptors in Latin America and Africa that are presented as help, but they were to appropriate mining rights and add huge amounts of debt to the balances of those countries”, and asked the local authorities to end the swap that Argentina has with the Asian giant. On the other hand, after the statements that the Trump official made from Balcarce 50, China shouted in the sky and from its embassy in the country, in addition to rejecting Besent’s expressions, they added: “China accompanies developing countries on their way to development without imposing any political conditioning.”
The construction of that naval base that would also serve as a strategic pole and entry point to Antarctica, estimate that it would have a total cost close to 300 million dollars and that, once finished, it would generate many economic benefits for the country. In that line, different experts in the subject believe that the ideal would be that this key work for Argentina be carried out with funds and financing of the national state. “It would be ridiculous to get into a geopolitical problem between China and the United States for that amount,” they think.
In March 2022, during the government of Alberto Fernández, the minister of Defense of that time, Jorge Taiana, visited the facilities of the Southern Naval Area (Anau) and participated in the discovery of the fundamental stone of the works of the Integrated Naval Base that would supposedly begin to be built with national funds. The governor of Tierra del Fuego, Gustavo Melella, and who at that time was the head of the Joint Chief of the Armed Forces, Juan Martín Paleo, along with other officials, was also there. Finally, beyond the “fundamental stone”, and of a workshop who put Moles later Tandanor (Naval Talleres Dársena Norte), the work did not advance.
During the previous government, China did want to advance with a work in the province of Tierra del Fuego, but it was not the construction of a base, but the construction of a petrochemical plant. It was a project that was going to imply a private investment of 1500 million dollars, which consisted of installing the plant that would export, among other things, cheaper gas, and that would have a period of construction of one to two years. However, that did not materialize and in the government of Alberto Fernández, no matter how much he signed in 2022 his adhesion to the strip and the Silk route, he did not get China to finance any project. On the integrated naval base, who were part of the previous government, they say that China never proposed to finance it. “It’s all smoke and part of a huge geopolitical paranoia,” think who were part of those conversations.
The Milei government, with its paralysis of public works and deep chainsaw, also does not seem intention to activate that strategic work that would be for Argentina, among other things, a direct entrance door to Antarctica. Something that, for example, already exists on the Chilean side in the city of Punta Arenas. The Milei government also stopped all the works that the Ministry of Science and Technology, together with the Austral Center for Scientific Research (CADIC), which depends on CONICET, and with the University of Tierra del Fuego, were going to begin to carry out, in combination with the logistics pole, muddle the Argentine Antarctic Institute that currently operates on the campus of the University of San Martín, in the province of Buenos Aires.
Holsey, unlike Richardson, formed and is a military who comes from the United States Navy. That is, it has a particular interest in issues related to that area. That is why he decided to go to Ushuaia in person, even if from the Argentine government they assured him that there was no progress on China in the construction of the logistics pole, nor of the integrated naval base.
While the interest of the United States in having a base looking at the South Atlantic, and that has direct access to Antarctica, is real and concrete, for now they would not have spoken with the Milei government about specific financing to advance in that regard and build it. Or, at least, they assure it near the Ministry of Defense. They consider that Trump is now focused on giving other battles, such as the Panama Canal. In addition, if from Casa Rosada they decided to allow the presence of foreign military forces within the country, they would need the authorization of the Nation Congress.
Last year Milei decided to go personally to meet the head of the South Command in Ushuaia and, near midnight he shared with her an act. Richardson, repeatedly, made clear the interests that the US has for the natural resources of Argentina and also the American government’s decision to limit the entrance to the China region. This year, however, Milei did not travel to Ushuaia and did not do it defense minister Luis Petri, to accompany Hosey. Both ranges-that of the Minister and that of the President-are superior to that of the head of a command of the Department of Defense and the libertarian government would seem to have understood it. Milei, beyond that, could not hide his fanaticism for everything that has to do with the northern country, and he received Hosey in his office from Casa Rosada the day before he and his delegation travel to Patagonia.
The Head of the Southern Command left news about the delivery schedule of the 24 F16 aircraft that from Argentina bought within the FMS program (Foreign Military Sales) that the US has to facilitate the sale of weapons, equipment and military services to other countries.
