Latin America is no longer what US politicians call their backyard They became part of the map where the great powers decided their trade and military future. The latest example of this trend is the movement itself Argentine government of Alberto Fernández The Chinese are buying JF-17 fighters against other options from Western countries.
The Chinese fighter Jf-17 is strong in Argentina, but several reports indicate that it is competing against the HAL Tejas from India, MiG-35 from Russia and F-16 from Denmark the second hand
Washington’s dismay at the possibility of an elderly ally surrendering itself to Beijing’s arms A year of alarm bells began to ring when Washington stopped the acquisition of Argentine planes under diplomatic pressure from the Chinese.
But now, once again, Buenos Aires reopened the debate on the need for a decision to replace the old war fleet. It was discovered that when the Argentine embassy in Beijing was published on Weibo because of the Argentine embassy in China; Sabinus Vaca Narvaja and Argentina’s defense minister George Taiana recently met to discuss plans to cooperate with Beijing on defense and security. It seems that Chinese and Argentine representatives have discussed the possibility of co-production.
A week ago, US Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar said “The Chinese fighter factory in Argentina is the worst.” According to Salazar, Buenos Aires intends to install a JF-17 factory, which a . he described “Play with the devil.”
Argentina is interested in acquiring JF-17 aircraft. which are commonly developed China and Pakistan and which exceed the speed of sound. Buenos Aires also wants to buy 8×8 armored vehicles made by the Chinese firm North Industries Corporation (Norinco) from the Asian giant to “meet Argentina’s military needs to protect unity and stability,” according to a Weibo statement.
In total, the project is about the acquisition of about 40 8×8 armored vehicles and about 12 JF-17 aircraft for an estimated value of 664 million dollars. Argentina would thus become the first Latin American country to operate the JF-17 aircraft and expand the range of military equipment in the Chinese region.
Apart from the origin of these planes, the political debate in Argentina revolves around the idea of ​​whether the state can afford military expenditure, as urgent needs arise. Those in favor say the country needs to rebuild its air power after years of faltering. Massacres against Britain in 1982 a Falklands crisiseconomic crises and US sanctions after the war did not take effect.
During the Falkland War, Argentina had 240 combat aircraft, but today there are only twenty A-4AR Fighting Hawk fighter-bombers created for the Argentine Air Force in 1995, fewer than ten Pampa III masters, and no supersonic fighters.
Falklands and China
Argentina has an aging navy and old territorial disputes continue to fester, such as one over the Falkland Islands, whose control Buenos Aires claims from Britain. In this case, China supports Argentina’s request to exercise full control over the Falklands and has expressed its willingness to deepen strategic cooperation with the Latin American country.
The ties between Argentina and China have been strengthened in recent years. US Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar recently stated that Argentina “allowed the Chinese Communist Party full control of the operations of the space station, which is about 400 square meters in size and located in the middle of the Patagonian desert”, in reference to the Chinese base in Neuquén, which is officially dedicated to space research.
