The Andes-Atlantic Corridor and a visit by Trump officials consolidate the Argentina-US strategic alliance in minerals and infrastructure

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Juan Pablo will visit Asunción and Buenos Aires next week to shore up the follow-up of the talks on the Andes-Atlantic Corridor, announced just three weeks earlier. These talks include a bilateral financing scheme involving public and private instruments from Washington for amounts that, if they materialize, would represent the largest inflow of US-origin capital into Argentine infrastructure in decades.

The Andes-Atlantic Corridor

On September 23, 2026, at the U.S.-Argentina Forum on Supply Chains, Energy & Infrastructure held in New York, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno and Deputy Secretary Landau formally launched the Andes-Atlantic Corridor. The stated objective is to connect the mining northwest and Vaca Muerta with the Atlantic ports through railways, pipelines, ports, power grids and digital infrastructure.

Under the Andes-Atlantic Corridor, Argentina and the United States intend to strengthen cooperation in the following sectors:

● Transportation Sector: Identify priority infrastructure projects for the rehabilitation and expansion of railways, waterways and ports, with opportunities for US companies to compete in tenders or to participate as subcontractors.

● Energy Sector: Commercially develop the energy resources of the Vaca Muerta region through US investment, technology and financial instruments, including direct loans, loan guarantees and insurance products to mobilize capital, equipment and service providers of US origin.

● Minerals Sector: Identify opportunities under the US-Argentina Critical Minerals Framework Agreement to support the mining and processing of critical minerals, advancing commitments to secure supply chains and promote their global diversification.

● Digital Sector: Support the use of trusted technology and collaborate on the security of customs inspection platforms and equipment, consistent with Article 3.2 of the US-Argentina Agreement on Reciprocal Trade and Investment.

The project's geopolitical positioning is as relevant as its logistical architecture. According to information published by La Derecha Diario, it is the first corridor in the Western Hemisphere of the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), an initiative launched at the 2022 G7 with the aim of mobilizing 600,000 million dollars in infrastructure as the Western response to China's Belt and Road.

The agreement's implementing vehicle is the U.S.-Argentina Build the Future Framework, signed with the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM Bank), also signed on September 23, 2026, which gives US companies interested in investing in Argentina access to soft loans. This is part of the US EXIM Bank strategy known as the Supply Chain Resiliency Initiative (SCRI), designed to help secure the supply of critical minerals and rare earth elements to US companies, and it is complemented by the Pax Silica, signed by 35 countries, including Argentina, with the US, which guarantees the supply of critical materials for the development of Artificial Intelligence.

The US-Argentina trade and investment promotion agreement. The critical minerals clause

In addition, on September 23 the Protocol of Amendment (photo) to the US-Argentina Agreement on Reciprocal Trade and Investment was signed (the agreement has not yet been ratified by the Argentine Congress). Its formal content is not yet known, nor whether it sets a deadline for approval by both chambers of Congress; it would establish a clause under which Argentina commits to prioritizing the United States as a partner in copper, lithium and other critical minerals.

Sources

1. MSN / Noticias — Two senior Trump officials arrive in Argentina to advance investments and strengthen security cooperation (October 16, 2026)
2. El Retrato de Hoy — Milei wrapped up his visit to the United States and prepares trips to Spain, Neuquén and Catamarca (October 16, 2026)
3. La Derecha Diario — Andes-Atlantic Corridor: Milei and Trump signed the agreement that changes Argentine logistics (October 2026)