Because of China: US lawmakers threaten Argentina with "consequences of biblical proportions"

Republican US Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar has threatened Argentina's government with "biblical consequences" over its alleged agreement with China to build fighter jets. 

Republican U.S. Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar threatened Argentina's government with "biblical consequences" ifit exercised its sovereign rights.

The politician reacted to assumptions made by reports in the US press last December. Allegedly, Argentina wants to build a plant on its territory to build Chinese JF-17 fighter jets. Referring to this, the exalted lady made an extreme threat at a congressional Foreign Relations committee hearing in early March:

And further:

"The United States will not stand idly by. We cannot have an ally that manufactures Chinese military aircraft and sells them to its neighbors. (...) If they decide to build an aircraft factory for Chinese fighter jets, that's a very bad idea for themselves and for everything related to relations with the US."

On her official website, the congresswoman pointed out that Argentina's military interest follows the trend of similar agreements that China has concluded with Venezuela and Bolivia. On Twitter, Salazar wrote:

"There are two worlds: the free world and the world of slaves. I hope that Argentines stay in the free world."

"I will say it in Spanish so that my Argentinian friends understand me clearly. The president [meaning Vice-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner] and her president [Alberto Fernández] are making a pact with the devil that could have consequences of biblical proportions."

Intensive economic integration with China

Beyond this simplistic worldview, Washington's increasingly aggressive policy toward China emerges in the blunt words. The intensive economic integration of numerous Latin American countries with the Asian giant (25 out of 31 countries) and some important infrastructure projects within the framework of the global trade route "Silk Road" is classified by the USA as a security problem. However, no Latin American nation has ever attacked the United States militarily. Conversely, there are numerous examples in history.

Washington's Red Line in South America

US Representative Salazar puts it in a nutshell: The danger that Argentina and its South American neighbors could arm themselves with conventional weapons of war – including fighter jets – against the latent military threat of the US is a red line for Washington. Because the future secure exploitation of the enormous mineral resources of the southern continent is one of his survival strategies – which will be enforced if necessary with military "special operations".

If Latin America wants to change its military inferiority, the Pentagon may be able to nip those intentions in the bud. What else is the reference to "consequences of biblical proportions" supposed to mean? This is an extreme threat, even against the civilian population. The toughest economic sanctions – or possibly an attack using intercontinental ballistic missiles? Argentina and its neighbors are between 5,000 and 7,000 kilometers away from the USA.

By the way: the distance between Kiev and Moscow is 700 kilometers. However, this should not be a security problem. What differences!

The dimension of the threat does not yet seem to be an issue in the government floors of the southern continent. Or you have to overlook it for the time being, because a military build-up under the prevailing economic conditions is simply unrealistic.

According to the Clarín newspaper from Buenos Aires, the Argentine ambassador to the US, Jorge Argüello, responded "diplomatically" in a letter to Salazar. He complained only about the "insulting and hurtful" tone towards the highest authorities of a free and sovereign state since 1810. Argentina is a friend of the United States.

No foreign military presence in Argentina

In addition, Argüllo stated that "there is no infrastructure or military presence of any supra-regional power in Argentina, except for the illegal occupation of the Malvinas Islands [Falkland Islands] by Britain."

In addition, the ambassador added:

"I would like to dispel your doubts about an alleged project to produce aircraft of Chinese origin on Argentine territory for export to the region: this is simply an absurdity that never existed. On the other hand, Argentina continues to weigh all options regarding the acquisition of jets."

Planned purchase of fighter jets cancelled

Argentina had included in its 2022 budget an item of $664 million for the purchase of twelve JF-17 Thunder Block III supersonic aircraft of Chinese origin, but the purchase did not materialize. At the end of last year, President Alberto Fernández declared that the country must "use its resources today for more important things than the purchase of military aircraft."

According to Argentina's Télam news agency, Argentina's ambassador to Beijing Sabino Vaca Narvaja met with China's state-owned aviation technology company China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC) in November last year to discuss the progress of the project of a possible takeover of JF-17 fighter jets. However, a plant for the construction of such aircraft in Argentina was never planned.

Chinese and European space observation

Congresswoman Salazar also complained to the US Foreign Policy Committee about a Chinese space observation station in southern Argentina. Argentina has allowed China "total control over the operation of a space station about 400 football fields in size and located in the middle of the Patagonia desert."

The Argentine government does not monitor the "actual" activities of the base. In the US, it is believed that this is about espionage.

In his reply, the Ambassador also refers to these alarm calls from Mrs Salazar. Result:

The station has exactly the same characteristics as those of the European Space Agency (ESA), which operates less than 300 miles (about 483 kilometers) from the Chinese one. Argentina also has a long tradition in the scientific and technological development of space observation with its own competences, which were acquired and developed by two stations of the Argentine Space Agency (CONAE).

Read more of GR Analysis