Among the many visitors whom Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting this year, Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi was the first President to make a visit from Ibero-America. Orsi’s delegation of 150 business and other leaders arrived on Feb. 1, aiming to stay a week. This morning, Feb. 3, the two heads of state met in the Great Hall of the People, with President Xi making pointed remarks about the turbulent world situation. In his comments, Xi underlined that both sides should strengthen the alignment of economic development strategies and promote the transformation and upgrading of economic growth.
Xi underlined the extremely volatile situation and the danger of “escalating unilateral bullying.” He said that China supported Uruguay’s assumption of the rotating presidency of the Group of 77 Plus China (China is not a full member), and said he wanted to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with Uruguay in the Global South and promote an “equal and orderly multipolar world.” Uruguay also assumes the rotating presidency of CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
Uruguay’s ties with China are longstanding. It established diplomatic relations in 1988, and joined the Belt and Road Initiative in August 2018. Membership in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) followed in 2020.
Orsi, in turn, underlined that developing relations with China has become a national policy of Uruguay, receiving unanimous support from all political parties and sectors of society. He said that Uruguay highly appreciates President Xi Jinping’s concept of a community with a shared future for mankind. Faced with a challenging international and regional situation, Uruguay is willing to work hand-in-hand with China, respect the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, uphold multilateralism, safeguard the international trading system, promote the continuous development of Latin America-China relations, and safeguard the common interests of the Global South, Orsi said.
The two sides also signed 10 new cooperation agreements in investment promotion and trade.
