President Milei said Argentina would not expel the residents of the Malvinas (Falkland Islands) if it recovered sovereignty over the archipelago, telling an audience at the Economic Club of New York on Thursday that "those people will be treated with dignity and justice."
"We are not going to expel them," Milei said during an on-stage interview with Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait, according to Infobae. He restated the argument behind his rejection of the islanders' right to self-determination, saying Britain had displaced the population that was there before and installed another. He offered no specifics on residency, property or compensation.
Micklethwait, who is British, referred to the islands as the Falklands. Milei corrected him: "Don't call them the Falklands, they're the Malvinas," El Cronista reported. Pressed further, he declined to debate the point. "I'm not going to argue, because they're ours, obviously," he said, according to Infobae.
The exchange came a day after Milei used his UN General Assembly address to press the sovereignty claim and call the organization "useless."
Micklethwait also challenged Milei's free-market credentials, noting that China has become one of Argentina's main trading partners and that Chinese automakers such as BYD are increasingly present on Argentine roads while the United States restricts their sales. Milei said he would not stand in the way. "They can buy cars wherever they want. Who am I to say?" he said, according to Bloomberg. "Cars aren't imported by me, they're imported by individuals," he added, according to La Nación. Asked about President Trump's protectionist trade policy, he said he could not give recommendations to another president.
China is closing in on Brazil as Argentina's largest trading partner, driven by soybean exports and vehicle sales, Bloomberg reported. Milei, who harshly criticized Beijing as a candidate, has taken a more pragmatic line toward it since taking office.
Milei also used the appearance to promise a strong second term. "If we are re-elected, 2028 will be the best economic year in Argentine history," he said, according to El Cronista. La Nación reported that several executives and investors left with doubts about his answers. "Each question Milei received, he either rebutted or avoided, and that didn't go over well," one attendee told the newspaper, though many still said they saw no viable alternative to his government.