Overview
- China’s embassy in Buenos Aires issued a formal statement Monday rejecting U.S. Ambassador Peter Lamelas’s comments from a Salta interview as ideologically biased and rooted in a Cold War mindset.
- Speaking to El Tribuno, Lamelas said the United States ignored Latin America for decades, warned that Chinese firms answer to Beijing, and urged caution in security, communications, and key infrastructure.
- China’s mission defended its regional ties as South–South cooperation based on mutual benefit and said Latin American nations should choose partners without outside pressure.
- To press its case against a U.S. double standard, the embassy cited about 73,000 American companies operating in China with investment above $1.2 trillion and said many plan to keep expanding.
- The clash comes as Lamelas tours Argentine provinces to court governors and U.S. investment, highlighting a broader U.S.–China contest for influence that includes lithium and other critical resources.