Milei's Auction Favors Group With Past China Ties, US Dredger Warns.

The article focuses on the controversy surrounding the bidding process for a major dredging concession on Argentina’s Paraná River, a key economic waterway. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co., a US dredging firm partnered with Belgium-based Dredging Environmental & Marine Engineering NV (DEME), alleges that the bid terms favor Jan de Nul NV, another Belgian company with longstanding ties to the river and a local Argentine partner, Servimagnus SA, which has past connections to China’s state-run CCCC Shanghai Dredging Co. Argentina’s government denies formal complaints from Great Lakes and defends the bidding conditions, including a price floor and experience requirements, as transparent and necessary. The dispute occurs amid geopolitical tensions, with US support for Milei’s administration aiming to reduce Chinese influence in Argentina’s infrastructure projects. [Extracted from the article]