Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for stronger cooperation between China and Uruguay to promote what he described as a fair and balanced multipolar global order during talks with President Yamandu Orsi.
Orsi’s trip marks the first visit by a South American leader to Beijing following the United States’ military operation in Venezuela earlier this year that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
During the meeting, Xi emphasized the need for both countries to support an inclusive global economic system that benefits all nations, while working toward building a shared global future.
The meeting also takes place amid a series of high-level visits to China this year by Western leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.
Orsi said his visit aimed to “empower Uruguay in the world and generate opportunities, investment and development” in a Facebook comment on Sunday, following his arrival in Beijing.
He is leading a delegation of 150, including business leaders, on a visit that runs until February 7, which will also take in the commercial capital of Shanghai.
The timing is symbolically important for China, said Francisco Urdinez, a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
“For Beijing, hosting Orsi … signals that South American countries remain eager to engage, despite the increasingly polarised geopolitical environment.”
China was the top destination for Uruguayan agricultural products from wood pulp to soybeans and beef. Uruguay ran a trade surplus of $187.1 million with China in the first half of 2025.
The South American nation imports machinery, electronics and chemicals from China.
Source: Dunya News
