The U.S. State Department has responded to The Floridian's request for comment to Secretary Marco Rubio regarding the potential advantage the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could soon hold over the U.S., if President Javier Milei's Argentina grants Chinese-aligned building companies to dredge the Via Navegable Troncal (VNT) instead of partnering up with American companies.
President Donald Trump's foreign policy initiative in the region could be compromised if Argentina sides with Chinese companies over U.S. companies.
But now it appears that Argentina recently inserted language into the VNT tender that would prevent "state-owned enterprises" from taking part in the bidding process. Dredging company Jan De Nul has partnered up with Argentina’s Servimagnus, which has significant ties to state-owned Chinese companies, several of which are actively seeking a role in the billion-dollar dredging project.
One of those CCP-aligned companies is China Communications Construction Company ( CCCC ), which is not only a subsidiary of Shanghai Dredging but has been the tip of the spear of China’s Belt & Road global initiative. The Belt & Road initiative is considered a threat to U.S. interests and national security.
"We congratulate Argentina for including language in the VNT waterway tender that precludes bids from state-owned enterprises. This is a vital step toward securing Argentina’s own sovereignty and ensuring its critical infrastructure remains in the hands of transparent, market-driven actors. The United States remains the number one source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Argentina, and we continue to support competitive, transparent bidding processes that prioritize high-quality standards and national security," stated a State Department official.
The VNT waterway is a major thoroughfare that stretches from Paraguay and Argentina to Brazil and connects more than 100 inland ports, handling an annual 100 million tons of cargo, and moves 80% of Argentina's annual imports and exports.
