LA PAZ, Boliva (AP) — Last year, then-presidential candidate Javier Milei declared Argentina would not “make deals with communists” in China or Brazil, calling their leaders “murderers” and “thieves” in a bid to channel the populist energies of Donald Trump and other global far-right icons into a winning political message.

Denying climate science, dissenting on gender equality and blasting higher taxes on billionaires, Argentine President Javier Milei, fresh off meeting Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort, is spoiling for a fight with the global consensus.

China's President Xi Jinping met with Argentine President Javier Milei on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, Chinese state television CCTV reported. It was the first meeting between the two leaders.

Argentina's President Javier Milei and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping shake hands on the sidelines of the G20 summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024. Argentine Presidency/Handout via REUTERS RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping met with Argentine President Javier Milei on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday,

Last year, then-presidential candidate Javier Milei declared Argentina would not “make deals with communists” in China or Brazil, calling their leaders “murderers” and “thieves” in a bid to channel the populist energies of Donald Trump into a winning political message.

EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles as well as the war in Ukraine were on the agenda as the leaders of two of the world's largest economies met on the sidelines of the summit in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro.