Roundup: Sino-Argentine ties to reach new high in 2017

The relationship between China and Argentina, which will celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties in 2017, will reach a new high this year.

Yang Wanming, the Chinese ambassador to Argentina, told Xinhua "Both sides will organize a series of activities to celebrate (the anniversary), as a Chinese proverb goes: The relationship between two countries is based on the affection between two countries' civilians."

The occasion of the 45th anniversary "should be taken as a new opportunity ... to help all types of exchanges and mutual visits to deepen knowledge and friendship between our societies," the ambassador said.

Yang also said that Argentine President Mauricio Macri will make an official visit to China in the first quarter of 2017.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties on Feb. 19, 1972, the relations between Beijing and Buenos Aires have been enjoying a healthy development.

China and Argentina have forged a comprehensive strategic partnership. Currently, China is Argentina's second-largest trading partner. China is also involved in a series of emblematic projects in the South American country, ranging from hydroelectric, nuclear and clean energy, to railway and housing.

In an interview with Xinhua, Macri mentioned the "enormous importance" and "complementarity" of Argentina's links with China.

Macri said Argentina is committed to deepening its friendship with China and is ready to closely communicate and coordinate with China in global affairs, while meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in September last year in eastern China's Hangzhou city ahead of the Group of 20 (G20) Hangzhou Summit.

"The countries are good partners. They maintain fruitful political dialogues in many aspects, the commercial agenda has also grown significantly. Economic and social actors have benefited financially, with the quantity of treaties and bilateral agreements being evidence of this," said Sergio Cesarin, an Argentine expert on Chinese affairs.

Cesarin, the coordinator of the Center for Asia-Pacific and India Studies at the National University of Tres de Febrero, said that the last 45 years have seen "permanent growth" in the relationship between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Yang said that "for over half a century, Chinese immigrants to Argentina carried traditional values with them, such as being hardworking, generosity, honesty and trustworthiness."

Yang said Chinese immigration "has helped social and economic development in Argentina, as well as civil, economic and commercial cooperation, which have become an integral part of the local society."

For Maria Cecilia Peralta and Nadia Radulovich, co-founders of the Asia Viewers consultancy, the interaction between China and Argentina is becoming ever more diverse in various fields.

They said that China "is a very important strategic partner for our country" due to "the cooperation in multiple fields, including the economy, production, innovation in science and technology, tourism and education, among others."

"The coming years are very promising for China and Argentina to build more concrete, mature and ordered cooperation and active ties," they said. Endi