Argentina's Macri blames Carrefour supermarket crisis on Asian-owned stores
Speaking to Spain's ABC News, Argentine President Mauricio Macri referred to recent news that Carrefour Argentina, the nation's largest supermarket chain, is initiating bankruptcy procedures by blaming "disloyal competition and (tax) evasion by Chinese markets."
The remarks were made during a state visit today by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a close ally of the right-wing Macri administration.
"Macri's phrase about us was unfortunate," Yolanda Durán of the Chinese Supermarkets Association, said. "The president should stop calling us Chinese; we are third-generation Argentine. That is discrimination."
Argentina's retail sector has struggled since Macri enacted a 40% devaluation within days of taking office in December 2015.
Inflation initially doubled to 45% in 2016, and has remained at 25% since then. Real annual sales in Argentina's leading supermarket chains have fallen by 16% since Macri took office.
Nor are customers shifting their business to smaller venues. The Argentine Medium Business Chamber (CAME), which includes most smaller retail chains, reports an 8% decline in real sales from 2015 to 2017 - with another 2% decline as of this March.
Some 300 Asian-owned stores have reportedly closed last year, around 5% of the total.
"Given the retraction in consumption, we work twice as hard," Durán said. "The president is not telling the truth about our reality, and I feel there is some discrimination."
Spanish eyes
Macri's rhetoric toward Asian-owned businesses, and against non-European immigrants generally, has been in stark contrast with his language toward Spain particularly.
"Our patriots must have felt great anguish when declaring their independence from Spain," he told former King Juan Carlos I during Argentina's Bicentennial celebrations two years ago.
"Argentina and Spain are like lovers reuniting," he added today.
Earlier this week, Rajoy granted Macri's mother, Alicia Blanco Villegas, Spanish citizenship - leading to speculation the increasingly unpopular Macri, whose approval has fallen to 32% and who faces numerous conflict-of-interest and tax evasion inquiries, might seek refuge there once his term ends in December 2019.
At: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.infonews.com%2Fnota%2F314694%2Fdesde-los-supermercados-chinos-le-salieron&edit-text=
An 'Argenchinese' market in Buenos Aires. Asian-owned grocery stores, and their competitive prices, have become increasingly popular in Argentina since the 1990s.
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"Argentina and Spain are like lovers reuniting," he added today.
Too bad Macri doesn't feel too sentimental about the citizens of his own country. They have suffered so much since he wormed his way into office, as a good president left.
Insane statistics every month from his economic disaster in place from the first. It never seems to improve, it only gets worse. Can Argentina even last until Macri could end his term and run to hide in Spain, with his mom?
Looks as if she's leaving now, to avoid the rush!
It's deeply unfortunate to learn that Macri, like Trump, takes time from his busy day to attack other ethnic groups. It appears both Trump and Macri worship Europeans, the paler, the better, and are deathly afraid of people with dark brown or black hair. That's so shabby to see such an appalling lack of dignity, wisdom, sanity in someone posing as a national leader.
Shame on them both. We should start up a pool to guess which one is going to get driven out of office first. We could set it up to reflect the number of days in office, to be fair. They both have it coming, so hard.
