BUENOS AIRES, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Argentine Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Faurie on Monday highlighted his country's "great" ties with China.

"When Argentine President Mauricio Macri took office in December 2015, his first objective was to renew ties with all countries," Faurie told reporters in the central city of Cordoba.

"We have developed a great relationship with China, with which we have a comprehensive strategic partnership," said Faurie, who traveled to Beijing in April to take part in the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Argentina has achieved "a level of global competitiveness that we can never neglect, thanks to its agricultural exports," the minister said.

According to official data, bilateral trade between China and Argentina in 2018 surpassed 16.28 billion U.S. dollars, an 18.2-percent increase over the year before. China has been the South American country's second largest trade partner and its largest market for agricultural exports.