Top Tory MP accuses China of encouraging Argentina to go after Falkland Islands
The shadow foreign secretary said Beijing was providing financial support for Argentinian President Javier Milei amid a ramping up of tensions over the islands
A senior Tory MP has accused China of encouraging Argentina to stake another claim on the Falkland Islands.
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The shadow foreign secretary said Beijing was providing financial support for Argentinian President Javier Milei, who has renewed his threats to go after the British overseas territory.
Tom Tugendhat also suggested that China was behind the sovereignty claim made by its ally Mauritius over the Chagos Islands.
Speaking at the London Defence Conference, the former Security Minister said: "Follow the money, and you'll find Beijing behind both and Argentina and Mauritius's claims."
He said that despite "President Milei's promise never to trade with communists, he renewed an $18 billion lifeline from China which still underwrites a large share of Argentina's reserves."
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"'As President Trump's own envoy to the region has made clear: so long as Argentina holds that credit swap, it is not truly free."
His comments come amid a ramping up of tensions surrounding the Falkland Islands, which were captured by British armed forces in 1982 after an invasion by Argentina.
Argentina’s sovereignty claim to the islands in the South Atlantic that it calls the Malvinas remains central to its national identity.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, Milei accused the UN of looking “the other way” amid the dispute over the islands with Britain.
He has called for an urgent meeting with Andy Burnham as tensions with Britain continue to surge.
The Prime Minister has firmly vowed to resist pressure to hand back sovereignty of the islands.
Speaking at the summit in New York on Tuesday, he insisted Britain would "stand firm in the face of any threats and challenges to the rule of law" including "where they threaten the rights of British territories to remain British – such as the Falkland Islands".