German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is continuing his tour of South America in Argentina, where he is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding to deepen cooperation on mining and raw materials at a meeting with his counterpart Pablo Quirno on Wednesday.
Germany is seeking to reduce its dependence on China and to strengthen partnerships based on shared values and trade in response to the strained trans-Atlantic partnership under US President Donald Trump.
Argentina has vast reserves of raw materials, with gold, silver and lithium accounting for around 95% of mining exports. Further mining projects are being developed to extract copper and lithium - the latter key for the production of electric car batteries, smartphones and laptops, as well as in solar wind energy.
Before his meeting with Quirno, Wadephul laid a wreath at the monument to the Latin American freedom fighter José de San Martín, who lived during the Wars of Independence in the 19th century.
Wadephul was in Paraguay on Tuesday. After Argentina, the next stop is Brazil.
