Argentina to open consulate in Chengdu, southwest China to meet ‘growing demands’
- It will be the South American nation’s fourth diplomatic mission in the Chinese mainland
- China is Argentina’s second largest trading partner and the bilateral relationship is deepening
The new consulate – Argentina’s fourth mission in mainland China – will have jurisdiction over the province of Shaanxi in the northwest, Sichuan, Yunnan and the city of Chongqing in the southwest, and Guizhou province in the south, the embassy said in a post on WeChat on Monday.
The announcement came after Argentinian President Alberto Fernández on Thursday signed a presidential decree calling for a reshuffle of the South American nation’s consular offices in China as the bilateral relationship deepens and to meet the “growing demands of compatriots”.
“It is considered necessary to order the opening and reorganisation of the constituencies of certain consular offices in [China], with the purpose of also allowing a greater diffusion of the image of [Argentina], as well as providing new currents of commercial and cultural exchange,” the decree said.
It said the two countries had agreed to a proposal to open the new Argentinian consulate in Chengdu in November. Fernández met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bali on the sidelines of the G20 summit that month.
Argentina also has consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou, and an embassy in Beijing.
It comes as Buenos Aires and Beijing are seeking closer ties. They upgraded the relationship to become “comprehensive strategic partners” in 2014 after establishing diplomatic relations in 1972.
