Category

Oral - Textual or Investigative

Description

This presentation analyzes the rhetoric of current Argentinian head-of-state Javier Milei—who was recently elected president in November of 2023—in relation to China. Chinese investment in Latin America has grown tremendously since the turn of the millennium, demonstrated by the exponential increase in commerce due in large part to a number of Beijing-aligned, left-leaning Latin American governments. Though his predecessor Alberto Fernández had accepted an invitation to join the BRICS trading bloc, whose most prominent member is China, the “liberal libertarian” Javier Milei maintained an aggressive stance against China during his campaign and subsequently declined the invitation. Despite these combative initial statements, rhetorical analysis from campaign to office displays a tonal shift that could signal the trajectory of Sino-Argentine policy for the next four years. This backtracking in Milei’s stance is evidenced by a softening of language in official and ad-hoc means; Milei originally employed inflammatory, deliberative rhetoric on the campaign trail that stigmatized communism, and by extension, China, as he also promised, again using deliberative rhetoric, to distance Argentina from China. However, in the wake of his inauguration and with the fulfillment of said promises yet to be seen, the president has opted for more positive, epideictic remarks towards China. This presentation begins by identifying the Sino-Argentine economic linkages and then, —through the integration of official statements, interviews, and social media interactions—charts and highlights the changes in the rhetoric used by Milei. His recent comments towards Beijing articulate the commercial and geopolitical connections between Argentina and China, and his practical approach shows an evolving understanding of a nation’s obligation to maintain connections with strong trading partners, even in the face of ideological differences. Future research could continue to analyze presidential rhetoric in relation to foreign policy, particularly China.

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Apr 17th, 10:00 AM

"We do not make pacts with communists": The Evolving Rhetoric of Argentine President Javier Milei in Relation to China

Oral - Textual or Investigative

This presentation analyzes the rhetoric of current Argentinian head-of-state Javier Milei—who was recently elected president in November of 2023—in relation to China. Chinese investment in Latin America has grown tremendously since the turn of the millennium, demonstrated by the exponential increase in commerce due in large part to a number of Beijing-aligned, left-leaning Latin American governments. Though his predecessor Alberto Fernández had accepted an invitation to join the BRICS trading bloc, whose most prominent member is China, the “liberal libertarian” Javier Milei maintained an aggressive stance against China during his campaign and subsequently declined the invitation. Despite these combative initial statements, rhetorical analysis from campaign to office displays a tonal shift that could signal the trajectory of Sino-Argentine policy for the next four years. This backtracking in Milei’s stance is evidenced by a softening of language in official and ad-hoc means; Milei originally employed inflammatory, deliberative rhetoric on the campaign trail that stigmatized communism, and by extension, China, as he also promised, again using deliberative rhetoric, to distance Argentina from China. However, in the wake of his inauguration and with the fulfillment of said promises yet to be seen, the president has opted for more positive, epideictic remarks towards China. This presentation begins by identifying the Sino-Argentine economic linkages and then, —through the integration of official statements, interviews, and social media interactions—charts and highlights the changes in the rhetoric used by Milei. His recent comments towards Beijing articulate the commercial and geopolitical connections between Argentina and China, and his practical approach shows an evolving understanding of a nation’s obligation to maintain connections with strong trading partners, even in the face of ideological differences. Future research could continue to analyze presidential rhetoric in relation to foreign policy, particularly China.

 

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