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Argentina

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Argentina. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Buenos Aires

Head of State

President Javier Milei

Head of Government

President Javier Milei

Ramiro Valdes in Havana in 2024. Photo: Reuters

Obituaries

Ramiro Valdes, key figure of Cuban revolution and Castro ally, dead at 94

The architect of Cuba’s state security apparatus and former vice-president was one of the final veterans of the 1956 rebel uprising.

22 Jun 2026 - 9:59AM

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV makers debut right-hand drive models for Southeast Asian push

19 Jun 2026 - 5:13PM

US-ally trade wars

Opinion | Many countries are ‘quiet quitting’ the US and China on trade

18 Jun 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

Argentina edges back to China on currency swap despite US pressure

Buenos Aires denies negotiating renewal, but the US$19 billion swap expires August 6, and Argentine reports say talks are already advancing.

16 Jun 2026 - 4:23AMvideocam

People’s Bank of China governor Pan Gongsheng (right) with Santiago Bausili, the president of the Central Bank of Argentina, at the PBOC-BIS Symposium in Shanghai on Wednesday. Photo: Handout

Fashion

9 fashion-forward collabs for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, from Nike to Loewe

From Jacquemus working with Nike and the France national team to Drake’s Nocta tracksuit for Canada, these are the hottest football fashion collabs this season.

11 Jun 2026 - 5:47PM

US-China trade war

US farm chief says reliance on China threatens American ‘freedom’

Agriculture secretary’s warning comes as tariffs weigh on China trade and Hormuz disruptions drive up fuel and fertiliser costs.

5 Jun 2026 - 5:49AMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

US’ Cuba-China fears, Panama pressure: Latin America relations reads

From Argentina’s shrinking China lifeline to the US’ Cuba worries, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in May 2026.

3 Jun 2026 - 12:38AM

Students from military schools take part in an “anti-imperialist” protest against the American incursion in Venezuela, in front of the US Embassy in Havana in January. Photo: AFP via Getty Images/TNS

China trade

Australian beef will soon be hit by 55% tariff in China, ministry says

China’s imports of Australian beef are about to surpass a quota introduced by Beijing to protect domestic farmers.

2 Jun 2026 - 6:30PM

Chinese tourists

Will the World Cup help Mexico dispel Chinese tourists’ safety fears?

A boost of visitor numbers for the tournament should also include travellers from China, though surveys show lingering safety concerns.

31 May 2026 - 10:00PM

India

India seals BrahMos missile deal with Vietnam, eyes Indonesia next

A senior Indian defence ministry official made the announcement at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.

31 May 2026 - 10:51AM

India’s BrahMos missile system (left) takes part in the country’s Republic Day parade in New Delhi last year. Photo: AFP

Science

How Lionel Messi’s favourite drink is sparking a major health craze in China

Ancient South American fusion may reduce risks of Parkinson’s and is enjoyed by top footballers, but the indigenous drink should be shared.

26 May 2026 - 5:26PMvideocam

The yerba mate plant is native to the Paraguay and Parana river basins in South America. Photo: Getty Images

US-China relations

US foreign affairs chairman warns of China role in Argentina contract bid

Brian Mast’s letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio concerns an auction for a contract to dredge and operate Argentina’s Parana River.

22 May 2026 - 4:46AM

China-Latin America relations

How a US$5 billion Chinese lifeline to Argentina shrank to almost nothing

Central bank records show the swap balance fell to US$675 million as Washington pressed Buenos Aires to wind it down.

30 May 2026 - 5:03AM

World Health Organization (WHO)

‘Crises’: WHO kicks off annual assembly amid Ebola, US withdrawal

Aid cuts ‘have disrupted health systems, widened inequalities’ said UN chief Antonio Guterres, with WHO budget down by almost US$1 billion.

18 May 2026 - 10:07PMvideocam

A health official uses a thermometer to screen people outside a hospital in Kampala, Uganda, on Saturday. Photo: AP

China-Latin America relations

China restores US beef trade amid Trump-Xi summit, alarming Brazilian exporters

Beijing’s renewal of import licences for US beef plants comes as Brazil nears its annual quota cap and scrambles for alternative markets.

15 May 2026 - 4:46AMvideocam

People shop for beef at a supermarket in Fuzhou, Fujian province. China has renewed import licences for hundreds of US beef plants. Photo: China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

Hantavirus

Argentine city tries to shrug off hantavirus ship ‘patient zero’ suspicions

The search for answers about the MV Hondius outbreak has pointed towards Ushuaia and a huge landfill site.

13 May 2026 - 12:48PM

Hantavirus

French hantavirus patient ‘critical on artificial lung’ as ship cases grow

Doctor in Paris describes MV Hondius passenger as having ‘the final stage of supportive care’.

13 May 2026 - 10:40AM

Americas and the Caribbean

Arrest warrant reissued for Bolivia ex-president after court no-show

Evo Morales is declared in contempt as prosecutors allege he fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl during his time in office.

12 May 2026 - 3:01PM

Former president Evo Morales, who governed from 2006 to 2019. Photo: AP

Hantavirus

More passengers from hantavirus-hit cruise ship test positive

Two passengers, French and American, test positive as governments take extensive precautions for evacuees.

11 May 2026 - 8:48PM

Spain

Hantavirus-hit cruise passengers evacuate from Spanish port with WHO aid

About 150 people will be flown home as the MV Hondius arrived near the port of Granadilla in Tenerife.

10 May 2026 - 8:48PM

Science

Global food and water supplies on thin ice as Argentina opens glaciers to mining

Scientists warn that allowing access to deposits near vital ice reserves threatens food production sustaining 400 million people.

10 May 2026 - 6:00AMvideocam

Argentina’s 16,000 glaciers form a vital freshwater reserve for the country, a major food exporter. Photo: AFP

Hantavirus

‘Almost zero’ chance Dutch man got hantavirus in Argentina’s Ushuaia: official

The patient and his wife, both MV Hondius passengers who died of the disease, were in the city only a few days before showing symptoms.

9 May 2026 - 5:38AM

A scientist from the Malbran Institute holds a container used to diagnose the Andes hantavirus in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday. Photo: Argentine Health Ministry via AFP

Spain

Spain to repatriate guests as hantavirus-hit cruise ship heads for Canaries

The MV Hondius is expected to reach the port of Granadilla on the island of Tenerife on Sunday.

8 May 2026 - 11:25PMvideocam

Singapore

Asia faces low hantavirus risk as Singapore isolates 2 from cruise over cases

Eight hantavirus cases linked to the cruise have been reported so far, including three deaths, the WHO says.

8 May 2026 - 6:58PMvideocam

World Health Organization (WHO)

WHO says cruise ship hantavirus outbreak ‘not the start of a pandemic’

The rare disease that hit the MV Hondius is usually spread from infected rodents, typically through urine, droppings and saliva.

8 May 2026 - 1:12AMvideocam

The cruise ship MV Hondius leaves the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

China-Latin America relations

China pours US$6.1b into Brazil, making it Beijing’s top global investment

Chinese miners, carmakers and tech firms are fanned out across 20 states, putting a dent in Washington’s own push throughout the region.

8 May 2026 - 12:06AMvideocam

A BYD vehicle is seen on the production line at the Chinese company’s new electric-vehicle factory in Brazil in October 2025. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong seeks more details from WHO on hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship

Health authorities say they are taking a ‘proactive and precautionary’ approach to safeguarding city despite low global health risk.

8 May 2026 - 12:10AMvideocam

Disease

Nations race to trace passengers of hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Cruise operator says 29 passengers left the MV Hondius in St Helena on April 24, after the first death.

7 May 2026 - 9:56PMvideocam

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Argentina

Ramiro Valdes, key figure of Cuban revolution and Castro ally, dead at 94

The architect of Cuba’s state security apparatus and former vice-president was one of the final veterans of the 1956 rebel uprising.

Chinese EV makers debut right-hand drive models for Southeast Asian push

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Many countries are ‘quiet quitting’ the US and China on trade

Argentina edges back to China on currency swap despite US pressure

Buenos Aires denies negotiating renewal, but the US$19 billion swap expires August 6, and Argentine reports say talks are already advancing.

9 fashion-forward collabs for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, from Nike to Loewe

From Jacquemus working with Nike and the France national team to Drake’s Nocta tracksuit for Canada, these are the hottest football fashion collabs this season.

US farm chief says reliance on China threatens American ‘freedom’

Agriculture secretary’s warning comes as tariffs weigh on China trade and Hormuz disruptions drive up fuel and fertiliser costs.

US’ Cuba-China fears, Panama pressure: Latin America relations reads

From Argentina’s shrinking China lifeline to the US’ Cuba worries, here are highlights from the SCMP’s foreign correspondents in May 2026.

Australian beef will soon be hit by 55% tariff in China, ministry says

China’s imports of Australian beef are about to surpass a quota introduced by Beijing to protect domestic farmers.

Will the World Cup help Mexico dispel Chinese tourists’ safety fears?

A boost of visitor numbers for the tournament should also include travellers from China, though surveys show lingering safety concerns.

India seals BrahMos missile deal with Vietnam, eyes Indonesia next

A senior Indian defence ministry official made the announcement at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.

How Lionel Messi’s favourite drink is sparking a major health craze in China

Ancient South American fusion may reduce risks of Parkinson’s and is enjoyed by top footballers, but the indigenous drink should be shared.

US foreign affairs chairman warns of China role in Argentina contract bid

Brian Mast’s letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio concerns an auction for a contract to dredge and operate Argentina’s Parana River.

How a US$5 billion Chinese lifeline to Argentina shrank to almost nothing

Central bank records show the swap balance fell to US$675 million as Washington pressed Buenos Aires to wind it down.

‘Crises’: WHO kicks off annual assembly amid Ebola, US withdrawal

Aid cuts ‘have disrupted health systems, widened inequalities’ said UN chief Antonio Guterres, with WHO budget down by almost US$1 billion.

China restores US beef trade amid Trump-Xi summit, alarming Brazilian exporters

Beijing’s renewal of import licences for US beef plants comes as Brazil nears its annual quota cap and scrambles for alternative markets.

Argentine city tries to shrug off hantavirus ship ‘patient zero’ suspicions

The search for answers about the MV Hondius outbreak has pointed towards Ushuaia and a huge landfill site.

French hantavirus patient ‘critical on artificial lung’ as ship cases grow

Doctor in Paris describes MV Hondius passenger as having ‘the final stage of supportive care’.

Arrest warrant reissued for Bolivia ex-president after court no-show

Evo Morales is declared in contempt as prosecutors allege he fathered a child with a 15-year-old girl during his time in office.

More passengers from hantavirus-hit cruise ship test positive

Two passengers, French and American, test positive as governments take extensive precautions for evacuees.

Hantavirus-hit cruise passengers evacuate from Spanish port with WHO aid

About 150 people will be flown home as the MV Hondius arrived near the port of Granadilla in Tenerife.

Global food and water supplies on thin ice as Argentina opens glaciers to mining

Scientists warn that allowing access to deposits near vital ice reserves threatens food production sustaining 400 million people.

‘Almost zero’ chance Dutch man got hantavirus in Argentina’s Ushuaia: official

The patient and his wife, both MV Hondius passengers who died of the disease, were in the city only a few days before showing symptoms.

Spain to repatriate guests as hantavirus-hit cruise ship heads for Canaries

The MV Hondius is expected to reach the port of Granadilla on the island of Tenerife on Sunday.

Asia faces low hantavirus risk as Singapore isolates 2 from cruise over cases

Eight hantavirus cases linked to the cruise have been reported so far, including three deaths, the WHO says.

WHO says cruise ship hantavirus outbreak ‘not the start of a pandemic’

The rare disease that hit the MV Hondius is usually spread from infected rodents, typically through urine, droppings and saliva.

China pours US$6.1b into Brazil, making it Beijing’s top global investment

Chinese miners, carmakers and tech firms are fanned out across 20 states, putting a dent in Washington’s own push throughout the region.

Hong Kong seeks more details from WHO on hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship

Health authorities say they are taking a ‘proactive and precautionary’ approach to safeguarding city despite low global health risk.

Nations race to trace passengers of hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Cruise operator says 29 passengers left the MV Hondius in St Helena on April 24, after the first death.

Opinion | Many countries are ‘quiet quitting’ the US and China on trade