The event brought together government officials, business leaders and diplomatic representatives from Argentina and China to analyze opportunities for cooperation and investment. The bilateral relationship has a concrete expression in mining: Ganfeng Lithium, Tibet Summit and China Union Holdings are developing lithium projects in the province, while the Asian giant has consolidated its position as one of the main destinations for Salta’s exports.
By Panorama Minero
The economic relationship between Salta and China gained a new promotional platform with China Day 2026, an event held at the Catholic University of Salta (UCASAL) with the participation of provincial authorities, diplomatic representatives, companies and representatives from the productive and academic sectors.
The agenda included panels on mining, the energy transition, agribusiness, regional SMEs and the Bi-Oceanic Corridor, in a context in which China maintains a growing presence in the province’s productive and export structure.
The country is consolidating its presence in Salta’s mining sector through three channels: companies with their own projects, capital participating in lithium developments, and a market that absorbs part of the province’s production.
This landscape includes Ganfeng Lithium (Mariana; and PPG, in a joint venture with Lithium Argentina), a company that this week opened a customs facility for direct exports at its processing plant in the General Güemes Industrial Park.
Also present are Tibet Summit/PLASA (Diablillos) and the planned entry of China Union Holdings into Arizaro. The latter is particularly significant because it represents the entry of a new Chinese player into one of the province’s major salt flats, through a transaction valued at US$175 million.
During China Day, the provincial government highlighted the role of National Route 51 and the Sico Pass as part of Salta’s connection with Pacific ports and Asian markets. The agenda is also linked to the development of the Capricorn Bi-Oceanic Corridor, conceived as strategic infrastructure to reduce logistical distances between Northwestern Argentina, Chile and Asian markets.
The presence of Chinese companies in Salta, as well as the growth in bilateral trade, therefore forms part of a relationship that extends beyond lithium. The provincial government itself lists tobacco, citrus fruits, sodium and lithium chloride, wines and pulses, as well as lithium carbonate, among the products exported to China.
