Xi vows to uphold partnership spirit
President says he’s ready to join G20 leaders to steer global economy
President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that he stands ready to work with the G20 leaders to uphold the spirit of partnership to steer the world economy, while deepening the bilateral relationship with Argentina, during his visit to the South American country.
Xi made the remarks in a statement released on Thursday after he arrived in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. He will attend the 13th G20 Leaders’ Summit from Friday to Saturday, and make a state visit to Argentina.
Xi said he is ready to uphold the all-in-the-same-boat spirit and, together with other world leaders, steer the “boat” of the world economy from the Rio de la Plata of Argentina toward the wide oceans. He also wished the summit success.
Noting that China and Argentina are sincere friends that trust each other and good partners that benefit each other, Xi said the two countries support their own paths of development and remain committed to deepening friendly cooperation and coordination in international and regional affairs.
He also said he looked forward to having extensive exchanges with Argentine President Mauricio Macri and people from all walks of life in the country, and jointly opening a new era for the China-Argentina comprehensive strategic partnership.
As the South American coun- try hosts the G20 Summit for the first time, it has made all-out efforts to prepare for the event. Banners for the summit have been erected on the main streets of the capital city, and security measures have been strengthened for the event.
To ease traffic during the summit, residents of Buenos Aires were given a holiday on Friday for the start of the leaders’ meeting in the capital.
The summit’s International Media Center opened on Thursday, with thousands of journalists from international media accredited to report on the event. An unidentified Japanese reporter told China Daily that besides the G20 Summit, he will also particularly follow the expected meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit.
Liu Dongping, president of the Confucius Institute of the University of Buenos Aires, said he expects Xi’s visit to Argentina will help make the relations between China and Argentina much closer at the governmental level.
Liu said an increasing number of Argentines want to learn about China, as they consider the Asian country a vast market and a role model for economic growth.
“Though the two countries are far apart, economic and cultural bonds are becoming closer, so it is more important than ever before to push the bilateral ties through trade and investment, and more important, through cultural and people-to-people exchanges.”
Pablo Alejandro Garzonio, undersecretary of the Institution of International Relations and Cooperation at the Buenos Aires City Legislature, said he hoped the leaders could reach consensus at the summit on the various issues challenging the world, to benefit world peace and development.
China is a model for Argentina regarding economic development, and it is hoped that Xi’s visit will promote cooperation between the two countries, as Argentina can increase exports of agricultural products and China can bring technology and investment in infrastructure, he added.
Xi made his first state visit to the South American country in 2014. Argentina is the second stop of Xi’s Europe and Latin America trip.
About 55 percent of Argentina’s beef exports are now destined for China, according to the Institute for Promotion of Argentine Beef, or IPCVA.
In the first eight months of 2018, Argentina shipped 114,000 tons of beef to China, exceeding last year’s 100,000 tons, the group said.
It is anticipated that a new beef trade agreement between Argentina and China will be signed after the G20 Summit. The beef industry in the South American country anticipates more growth in the China market.
The IPCVA launched a promotional campaign in China in May, sending top chefs to major cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou to train other chefs how best to cook various cuts of beef.
The group also formed a partnership with the China Cuisine Association and launched a WeChat platform to educate the Chinese public about its beef products. The quality, tenderness, taste and juiciness of Argentine beef, as well as its competitive price, are major selling points.
According to an IPCVA report, there were many happy faces at the Argentine Beef Pavilion during the China International Import Expo in November in Shanghai. Thirteen Argentine companies joined forces for the display. Business agreements between Chinese and Argentine companies were signed at the event.
An agreement between major Argentine beef producer Compania Bernal SA and Zhejiang Native Produce and Animal By-Products Group, calls for the purchase of $10 million worth of meat from Bernal in 2019.
“These unprecedented agreements, made within the framework of the IPCVA, guarantee not only the continuity of this market but also the growth of beef exports,” said Ulises Forte, president of IPCVA, who was present at the signing.
“We left with very happy feelings,” Forte said. “We continue to increase exports and we are one of the few sectors that can offer good news.
“Now we need public policies that encourage production and productivity so that supply can grow at the same pace and satisfy international demand.”
The beef export potential has prompted the creation of new businesses across Argentina. Industria Ganadera Sudamerica SA (IGS, Cattle Industry of South America) was established about a year ago by a group of Chinese investors in Buenos Aires. The company began operations in April and started shipping beef to China in July.
So far, about 20 containers of beef — more than 500 tons — have been exported to China by the company, according to David Wu, general manager of IGS.
“We buy livestock and send it to appointed slaughterhouses to cut and package the meat according to China’s specific requirements. Our goal is to ship 30 containers of beef a month,” Wu said.
There are 50 million head of cattle in Argentina, where the human population is about 40 million, Wu said. “Argentines mostly consume premium cuts of young cattle. Meat from cattle used for breeding is usually discarded. However, Chinese people traditionally enjoy beef in the form of beef jerky.”
Beef jerky does not require premium quality beef, and that makes China the ideal importer of Argentina’s surplus, he said.
“Chinese people consume about 6 kilograms of beef per person per year. The country needs to import 200 tons of beef annually to meet that demand. The demand is high and we are packaging beef as fast as we can,” Wu said.
IGS has formed partnerships with a few local companies, including Pampa Corp, which has been exporting beef to the Mideast for years.
“I used my business connections to connect IGS to a couple of slaughterhouses. Our company also sells cattle to them and brings them directly to the producers,” said Juan Uriburu, Pampa’s CEO.