Argentina deploys warships against China's shadow fleet, Plus US-China trade war heats up as retail, tech, and other industries feel the squeeze -- China Boss News 3.14.25

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What happened?

Argentina has deployed warships, surveillance aircraft, and military patrols to defend its sovereignty against relentless incursions by China’s distant water fishing fleet.

Despite joint operations with the US Coast Guard since April 2024, the Argentine Navy finds itself locked in a hybrid battle against an enemy that refuses to retreat.

China’s shadow fleet, subsidized and emboldened by state backing, continues its expansion—depleting Argentina’s marine resources while violating international laws.

The sheer scale of China’s fishing armada is staggering.

In January, the Argentine military used planes and warships to monitor fishing vessels near its waters. They spotted about 380 ships, many from Asia, just outside Argentina’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

According to CNN, over 80% of the vessels are Chinese, and many operate under the cover of darkness by disabling tracking beacons to avoid detection.

The vessels, also tainted by forced labor and human rights violations, are not merely poachers—they are the frontline of China’s unchecked economic exploitation and environmental devastation.

Why it matters.

The CCP’s going concern

China, the world’s largest seafood consumer, has expanded its fishing operations by 20% in five years, boasting a 3,000-vessel distant-water fleet—triple the size of those from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Spain combined.

Reports suggest that Chinese vessels take up to 70% of the squid caught on the high seas.

Due to China’s overfishing, Argentina’s seafood industry is on the verge of collapse.

Squid stocks, valued at over $2 billion annually and a crucial part of the South Atlantic food chain, are vanishing at an alarming rate.

Local fishermen, once the backbone of coastal communities, are being pushed to the brink, their livelihoods crushed by industrial-scale prowling.

Without decisive action, Argentina’s waters could become a lifeless expanse, echoing the destruction China’s fleet has inflicted on African and Pacific fisheries.

But this crisis is not just about economics: oceanic biodiversity is unraveling, and China’s commandeering of the South Atlantic is an ecological disaster with global implications.

In 2024, Argentina launched Operation Griffon XVII, an aggressive crackdown on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

During enforcement efforts, officials discovered that, in peak squid season (December–March) when some 450–500 Chinese vessels swarm Argentina’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), many disabled their Automatic Identification System (AIS) to evade detection.

International relations expert Luis Somoza warned that Argentina had no choice but to deploy naval assets.

“The Chinese Communist Party holds shares in most of the fishing companies, subsidizing this action. Illegal fishing activity is one of the main problems in the seas of South America, especially in the waters of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay,” he said.

Buenos Aires’ response has escalated into open conflict.

Argentine forces have fired upon and even sunk trespassing vessels, yet China remains defiant. Many of its ships, doubling as Maritime Militia assets, continue unchecked, serving Beijing’s broader geopolitical ambitions.

Disguised by deception—disabling trackers, flying false flags, and exploiting legal loopholes—China’s fishing fleet has also become more than an environmental threat.

It is a weapon of economic dominance and territorial expansion, testing the limits of international law.

A new battleground for supremacy

With bilateral trade exceeding $450 billion annually, most Latin American nations have been reluctant to challenge Beijing’s economic dominance.

Argentina has long been among China’s key economic partners in the region, receiving billions in policy bank loans and welcoming Chinese-backed projects, including military installations, nuclear initiatives, and lithium mining operations.

The economic entanglement runs deep.

Then came Milei. The firebrand libertarian president, infamous for his flamboyant campaign stunts—brandishing a chainsaw at rallies, advocating for a human organ marketplace—has radically reshaped Argentina’s foreign policy.

He declared war on “communists,” lumping China alongside regimes like Cuba and North Korea, and his defiant rhetoric marked a dramatic pivot from previous Argentine leaders, signaling a shift toward the West.

Milei’s rejection of China has drawn Argentina closer to Washington, at least for now.

But China has a track record of punishing nations that defy its influence.

Given Argentina’s staggering inflation, already exceeding 200%, standing up to Beijing could push the country deeper into crisis.

If it folds, then returning to Beijing’s orbit would reinforce China’s grip on Latin America and serve as a cautionary tale: Without tangible Western support, even the most defiant leaders may be forced to bow to China’s economic might.

In the meantime, the war for Argentina’s waters is far from over.

What started as a fight against illegal fishing has evolved into a much larger struggle—a battle between national sovereignty and global influence, environmental survival, and unchecked exploitation.

For now, the South Atlantic remains a theater of conflict, where warships chase shadow fleets and a nation fights to reclaim its seas.

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