In 2021, the comprehensive strategic partnership between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Argentina continued to deepen.
The two countries maintained frequent high-level exchanges. President Xi Jinping and President Alberto Fernández exchanged correspondence and had phone calls on multiple occasions to share views on deepening bilateral relations and advancing cooperation in various fields. In May, President Fernández attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the fifth Global Cross-border E-commerce Conference via video link upon invitation. In July, President Fernández attended and addressed the CPC and World Political Parties Forum via video link upon invitation. In November, President Fernández attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the fourth China International Import Expo. In October, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome. In the same month, State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe met with Defense Minister Jorge Enrique Taiana via video link.
China and Argentina engaged in active practical cooperation. In 2021, trade volume between the two countries stood at US$17.83 billion, up by 28.3 percent year on year. The People's Bank of China and the Central Bank of Argentina signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a strategic consultation mechanism. Vaccines produced by China National Pharmaceutical Group and CanSino played an important role in Argentina's COVID containment efforts. In October, Argentina approved Sinopharm's COVID vaccine for children aged 3 to 11, one of the first Latin American countries to do so.
China and Argentina maintained sound coordination and cooperation in international organizations and multilateral institutions including the UN, the G20 and the WTO. The two countries carried out exchanges on youth, education and between political parties in various formats such as online meetings. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina released a statement to express firm support for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.