Argentina loosens visa requirement for Chinese citizens

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(Reuters) -Argentina said on Monday that Chinese citizens with valid U.S. entry visas would not need Argentine visas to enter the country for tourism or business, a loosening of requirements that comes amid warming ties between Beijing and Buenos Aires.

Argentina is a key supplier of products including beef, soy and lithium to the Chinese market and cooperation has deepened between the two countries in recent years.

The decision by President Javier Millei was made to boost tourism and “deactivate” mechanisms which have “impeded the free development of Argentina’s economy, of which tourism is a strategic area,” according to a statement on the Argentine government’s website.

It comes after China in May extended its visa-free policy to citizens of Argentina as well as those of Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay, putting some of Latin America’s largest economies on equal footing with many European and Asian countries.

In line with the exemption adopted by China, it is “deemed appropriate to adopt equivalent measures for Chinese nationals holding ordinary passports who enter for tourism and business purposes,” the statement said.

China is Argentina’s second-largest trading partner after Brazil and a key investor in infrastructure, energy and mining projects in the country.

China has also extended a multi-billion dollar swap line to Argentina, mollifying billions of dollars in repayments that the Latin American nation needs to pay in the coming months.

Argentina is also part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which it joined in 2022.

(Reporting by Farah Master; Editing by Jamie Freed)