China Argentina Photo:VCG

The Chinese Embassy in Argentina on Saturday expressed its strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the recent remarks made by the commander of the US Southern Command, slamming the remarks as "contrary to the facts, absurd, and lacking even the most basic respect for China and Argentina," for which the Chinese side is deeply shocked and angered.

Regarding the Deep Space Station in Neuquén , Argentina and China-Argentina economic and trade cooperation, on April 2, Laura Richardson, the commander of US Southern Command, visited Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, to meet Argentine President Javier Milei and raised concerns about the deep space station, intended for radio astronomy, radar observations, and spacecraft missions of China, according to the media outlet Newsendip on Wednesday.

The media outlet noted that Richardson claimed the station provides the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) with "global tracking and surveillance capabilities" which "could translate into global military capabilities."

In response, the Chinese Embassy in Argentina stated on Saturday, regarding the Neuquén Deep Space Station, China and Argentina have clarified the intended use of the facility on multiple occasions. 

As a space technology cooperation project between China and Argentina, it does not have any special purposes other than civilian use, and its operation is open and transparent, the embassy said in the statement.

The statement stressed that space is the common home of humanity, not an arena for power struggles, noting some in the US are still stuck in the old era of Cold War thinking and zero-sum games. 

The embassy revealed, in fact, the US has around 800 military bases overseas and has stationed 173,000 troops in 159 countries and regions. The international community is deeply concerned about US activities at military bases overseas, and people in various countries have the right to know what military activities the US is openly conducting on the territory of other countries. Is it seriously undermining the sovereignty and security of other countries? The US needs to provide a clear explanation to the international community.

Instead of reflecting on itself, the US is blatantly applying double standards, deliberately slandering, smearing, and attacking China-Argentina deep space exploration, essentially politicizing, instrumentalizing, and weaponizing technological issues, maliciously depriving China and Argentina of their rights to use science and technology for their own development and to maintain their own space hegemony.

China-Argentina economic and trade cooperation is based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation, which is in the common interests of both sides. The Belt and Road Initiative is an open and inclusive international cooperation initiative. China has always adhered to the principles of voluntary participation, equality and mutual benefit, openness and transparency in carrying out relevant cooperation with relevant countries, and no partner has accepted the so-called "debt trap" theory. 

Since the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative 10 years ago, it has driven nearly a trillion dollars in investment, formed more than 3,000 cooperation projects, created 420,000 jobs for partner countries, and lifted nearly 40 million people out of poverty in partner countries. Under the framework of jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, China and Argentina have implemented a series of practical cooperation projects in energy, electricity, infrastructure, communications, and other fields, playing an important role in upgrading Argentina's industries, social development, job creation, and improving people's livelihoods, according to the embassy.

The embassy pointed out that Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Argentina, are independent sovereign states, not the backyard of the US. The Argentine government and people have the wisdom and ability to choose cooperation partners that are in their own interests.

China will continue to uphold the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, win-win cooperation, and openness and inclusiveness. Based on respecting each other's needs and interests, China will carry out practical cooperation in various fields with Argentina to better promote the development and revitalization of both countries and improve social welfare, continuously adding resilience and vitality to the global economy.