LF, a regional electricity-grid co-operative in Argentina, said a US embassy official asked one of its executives in July whether there was a possibility of cancelling the co-operative’s infrastructure project with Chinese technology company Huawei.
CALF said the embassy official asked one of its executives “if there was a possibility of cancelling the project” with the Chinese technology group, citing a “US government policy restricting or revoking visas” for directors of Huawei-linked projects.
The US ambassador in Buenos Aires on Thursday denied that the messages represented inappropriate pressure.
“Every country protects its house, the United States isn’t the exception,” Peter Lamelas said on X. “Denying or revoking a visa isn’t a punishment, it’s a decision to protect the nation’s security and interests.”
CALF operates the electricity grid in Neuquén, the capital of Argentina’s oil-producing Neuquén province.