Buenos Aires, January 31 (RHC-PL) -- President Cristina Fernández urged all political forces in Argentina to have a calm year and hold elections in peace, as she announced a substantial increase in retirement pensions.

The president addressed the nation from the Hall of Argentine Bicentennial Women, where she announced a 18.25 percent increase in retirement payments, besides highlighting other achievements made by the country.

She called the people not to allow others to bring to the country "conflicts from abroad, which are not ours," and "don't let us be divided, but rather let's go to the coming elections in peace, calm, and with joy," she insisted, and asked them to "defend Argentina more than they defend the Government."

"I made a great effort to come because I really wanted to be here before leaving for China," said the president, who was seen again in a wheelchair due to her broken ankle.

A delegation of more than 100 businesspeople, representing 24 sectors of the production of goods and services will accompany the president in a trip to consolidate the increasing bilateral relations, which both sides call “strategic and integral”.

The news agency Telam announced that the delegation of small and medium-sized businesses will hold negotiation rounds scheduled for February 4th and 5th in Beijing.

For Argentina-China Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Ernesto Fernandez, the trip and the negotiation rounds are a unique opportunity and he expects that the businesspeople know how to take advantage of it.

President Fernandez will arrive in Beijing on February 3rd and the following day she will attend a welcome ceremony presided over by Xi Jinping, with whom she will hold an exchange of opinions about the state of the relations between both countries and their increase.

China said today its that it assigns great importance to the official visit by the Argentinian president. The president will hold official talks with her host Xi Jinping and will attend the signing of bilateral agreements.