Marcela Belardo, an associate researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council of Argentina and a visiting research fellow at the Fudan Institute of Development Studies from April 1 to May 12, 2025, highlighted in an interview with FT Chinese the strategic importance of deepening China-Argentina relations, emphasizing that this goes beyond economic cooperation and serves as a key way to reduce Argentina’s structural dependence on the West. She noted China’s long-term commitments in lithium, agriculture, and energy, such as the Ganfeng Lithium technology transfer and the Santa Cruz dam project, which challenge the monopoly of traditional agricultural giants and bring a more balanced international positioning to Argentina. In public health, she pointed out significant potential for cooperation, from dengue fever prevention and control to vaccine development, as China’s technological strengths and Latin America’s research tradition can complement each other. However, she expressed concern over the current Argentine government’s pro-U.S. policies, such as withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO), which has led to health budget cuts and the resurgence of diseases like measles. Belardo stressed that true cooperation should go beyond raw material trade and focus on technology sharing and sustainable development, citing lithium development as an example, where community health must be prioritized and direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology used to reduce environmental hazards. She also emphasized the need to deepen academic exchanges between China and Latin America, establishing lasting partnerships through platforms like the Fudan-Latin America University Consortium (FLAUC) to demonstrate the value of South-South cooperation with practical projects. Belardo argued that public health must transcend geopolitics, as the pandemic has shown, and despite global tensions, scientific dialogue and cross-regional collaboration remain essential for addressing 21st-century challenges. She concluded that Argentina faces a critical choice: to remain subordinate or to chart a new path of sovereignty and development through cooperation with partners like China.

Translated by Ruihan CHEN

Full text in Chinese available at:

https://fddi.fudan.edu.cn/41/c7/c18965a737735/page.htm