Argentine President Javier Milei is expected to address the recently announced tariff hikes on U.S. imports of steel and aluminum during an upcoming visit to Washington, the governor of a major aluminum-producing province indicated on Wednesday.
Governor Ignacio Torres of Chubut province, where the leading aluminum manufacturer Aluar is based, stated that Argentine officials had already engaged in talks regarding this issue with the country's trade secretary and the U.S. embassy.
During his visit to the U.S. from Thursday to Saturday, Milei is scheduled to meet with Elon Musk and the head of the International Monetary Fund, coinciding with President Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference, as confirmed by presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni on Wednesday. The cabinet office did not immediately respond to an email inquiry about whether Milei would address the tariffs during his visit.
Aluar is the largest aluminum exporter in South America, with the U.S. importing less than 4% of its aluminum from Argentina.
Governor Torres criticized Trump's tariff decision to raise the U.S. tariff rate on aluminum to 25% from the previous 10%, stating that it "doesn't make sense." While Trump believes this move will benefit the struggling U.S. industry, it risks triggering a trade conflict on multiple fronts and straining relationships with allies.
"We must protect Argentine labor, our national industry, and especially a company like Aluar, which has just committed to a more than $600 million investment in a wind farm in the province," emphasized Torres.
Torres and cabinet chief Guillermo Francos elaborated on an upcoming bill that could unlock over $10 billion in investments in Chubut, focusing on the "Green Hydrogen Law" that is slated for discussion in Congress. This law aims to attract Polish firm Green Capital for potential investments in large-scale wind farms in the province, as highlighted by Torres and Francos.
Green Capital has not yet responded to a request for comment.