“Last year I said we must level the playing field. Today, as Trump has shown, China must be fought vigorously.” With this definition, Paolo Rocca receive Patricia Bullrich at the seminar ProPymes. From the request for “intervention” to deal with the wave of imports weeks ago, the steel magnate has now intensified the demand with a request for explicit trade protection. Before the senator, the owner of Grupo Techint warned that “openness” cannot be naive in the face of an Asian giant playing the game unfair rules.
The businessman drew a direct parallel to protectionist policies USA And Europe implement to shield their markets and in this context he assured that China has one “predatory attitude” and exercises a “Unfair trade” Product of its productive excess capacity. “China produces 50% of the world’s steel capacity “We are facing a decline in consumption,” he explained, warning that these surpluses want to enter open markets at all costs.
“We have to defend the industrial system, we“Rocca stressed and asked the senator to deliver this message to the Casa Rosada: “I think we have to open a dialogue with the government and really explain that China is responding to one.” strategic need for hegemonic conquest“.
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To illustrate the risk, Rocca quoted the Northern Mirror: “The US reaction was telling. As a group we have to pay 50% tariff to enter the USA. Europe did the same.
“Intelligent opening”
Sitting next to the businessman was a relaxed Bullrich and a brand new senator, who took up the gauntlet but recognized the nuances of the ruling party. “I think that Argentina has had an experience of accelerated and hasty openings and has had problems with that. We’re trying Don’t go for this model” he admitted.
However, he defended the commercial opening: “We don’t want a closed economy Because the prices we Argentinians pay for everything are more expensive than anywhere else in the world.” Bullrich defined the official strategy as “measured logic“and promised one”Smart opening“This gives companies time to adapt, recognizing that the government has to fix the problems first.” Infrastructure and the high tax burden.
Zero deficit, consumption and Ramallo’s “backpack”
The dialogue also had scope for domestic political reconciliation. Rocca praised the management’s performance Javier Mileiwhereby the decline in inflation and the “Zero deficit as something fundamental“. But he made no secret of the difficulties of the real economy: “Domestic consumptionafter the decline in 2024 and an improvement in 2025, shows October data lower than October 2024“.
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The CEO of Techint also pointed this out local tax pressureciting a specific example that sparked murmurs in the room: “In Ramallo we have a rate of 350,000 pesos per worker per month“.
Bullrich, for his part, expanded on this Labor reformwhich he described as “worker and business friendly.” The senator highlighted the end of the “litigation industry” and warned of union blockades: “Blockades and confiscations are punished with severe penalties. These sanctions have already been put into effect 164 blocks We had that.”
The investment commitment
Towards the end of the conversation and after asking Bullrich for help in “conveying the situation of companies” to the Senate, Rocca concluded with strong financial support for the model. He announced that the group has one Investment program for next year worth 2.4 billion dollarsfocused on Energy and mining. “Our commitment is to this countrywith its industrial growth, and we will commit to it with all our might,” he concluded.
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