The head of Southern Command arrives in Argentina as the US encourages Milei towards China

In fact, Richardson’s arrival coincides with a rise in diplomatic tensions between Washington and Beijing after US Ambassador Marc Stanley expressed speculation – without any evidence – in an interview.

The Asian country’s diplomatic headquarters then issued a statement.

“Do who knows what”
When asked by La Nación whether Richardson would visit the Patagonian city of Neuquén, the American diplomat explained that he would only be in Buenos Aires.

Although the Southern Command set up an emergency operations center in Neuquén – despite questioning residents who thought it was a “disguised military base” – in 2018 Stanley launched his arrows against the Chinese space station that was commissioned in the same city.

“I am surprised that Argentina allows Chinese forces to operate secretly in Neuquén and do who knows what,” he said.

The US diplomatic representative said he understood, without giving further arguments, that there were “soldiers of the Chinese army operating this space telescope” at the site.

“I don’t know what they are doing, I think the Argentinians don’t know either, and they should understand why the Chinese are stationed there,” he added.

The Chinese answer

The local press published fragments of a statement from the Chinese Embassy in Argentina, which stated that the Fara space station, located in the town of Bajada del Agrio, in Neuquén, is a facility for technological cooperation in space between the two countries, in which they carry out air transport carrying out “scientific research” activities.

“In lieu of the above-mentioned military operations, scientists from both Argentina and China will have access to the use of this station for scientific research,” the diplomatic headquarters clarified.

The document also explains that the station collaborates with organizations and companies from several countries in space research, in addition to carrying out measurement and control tasks for the Chinese aerospace project coordinated by the National Commission for Space Activities of Argentina (CONAE). .

“The local government and schools of Neuquén also use this station as a place to disseminate spatial knowledge,” the text says.

Finally, and to dispel doubts, the Chinese Embassy recalls that in 2019 the Argentine Foreign Ministry and CONAE coordinated a visit of several diplomatic delegations “including that of the United States” to Neuquén Station.

What is happening at the Chinese base?

Although there has been speculation in the press about the activities conducted at the aerospace station, information about the base, which began operations in 2018, can be found on the government website.

The portal explains that the base was created after the signing of inter-institutional agreements between China Satellite Launch and Tracking Control General (CLTC) and CONAE.

The antenna that the complex has “is aimed at space exploration missions located at a distance of more than 300,000 km from Earth,” another official publication said. Additionally, “it provides telemetry, surveillance and control support to the missions of China’s lunar exploration program.”

In another Argentine government publication, images of visits by representatives of the embassies of Germany, Brazil, China, the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 2019 are observed, as discussed in the statement of the Asian nation.