Belt and Road’s global reach to Argentina

The Belt and Road was initiated to encourage international co-operation, and its coverage is not limited to certain countries and areas. After the Belt and Road concept came out, and during the 10th G20 Summit, China National Nuclear Corporation signed a framework contract on Argentina’s fifth nuclear power plant with Nucleoeléctrica Argentina, indicating the arrival of Chinese nuclear technology in Argentina.

As Chinese legal counsel, the lead author was involved in the entire process of negotiating and signing the contract, and also gained an in-depth understanding of relevant Argentine laws. This article provides a brief overview of the infrastructure laws, foreign capital access, labour, construction qualifications, and the impact of the political system for investing in and undertaking infrastructure projects.

Laws on infrastructure are being improved. Argentina is a civil law country and the legal structure is based on the 1853 Constitution. The revised Civil and Commercial Code of Argentina, which took effect on 1 August 2015, saw several changes in the legal structure. In November 2016, Argentina implemented its Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Law, planning to further absorb domestic and overseas private capital in infrastructure construction and other public projects. Investors should pay attention to these laws.

Wang Jihong is a partner and Wu Anjing is an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm