Uruguay, China to deepen bilateral ties with historic presidential visit

China and Uruguay are experiencing an exceptional moment in their bilateral relations, which will culminate in the first state visit of Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi to the Asian country during the first week of February, coinciding with the 38th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the two nations.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay Yamandu Orsi will pay a state visit to China from Feb. 1 to 7, the Chinese foreign ministry has announced.

President Orsi's state visit to China has generated considerable anticipation in Uruguay, reflected in the high-level delegation accompanying him. The delegation includes multiple cabinet ministers and deputy ministers, directors of public enterprises and state agencies, representatives from over 90 companies, and dozens of business leaders spanning diverse sectors.

"This will be the largest number of business leaders ever invited by a Uruguayan president to China. More than 60 to 65 business leaders have already confirmed their attendance, and that list continues to grow. This reflects a new reality. They represent a wide range of sectors, from food security and agriculture to technology and logistics. Therefore, we believe that this public-private partnership, highlighted by President Orsi's delegation -- which includes several cabinet ministers from the productive sector and numerous directors of state agencies -- will undoubtedly mark a substantial advancement in cooperation during our time in Beijing and Shanghai. This cooperation, I reiterate, has a long history, but in this phase, it must accelerate in very specific directions to foster our country's growth and, naturally, deepen the relationship between our two nations," said Uruguay's Foreign Affairs Minister Mario Lubetkin.

The Uruguay-China Chamber of Commerce highlighted the current state of relations between the two countries.

"Currently, trade relations between Uruguay and China are at an excellent point in the bilateral relationship. We have now had China as our main trading partner for more than 14 consecutive years, and Uruguay has seen trade growth of more than 10 percent from 2024 to 2025, in both imports and exports and transit goods. So what we see is a very good relationship, and China is our main trading partner in terms of goods," said Nicolas Potrie, president of the Uruguay-China Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to trade, President Orsi's visit to China aims to advance joint work in other areas such as scientific and technical cooperation, joint educational programs, and strengthening inter-institutional ties, according to media reports.

Uruguay, China to deepen bilateral ties with historic presidential visit

International cruise ships brought more than 8,000 tourists to Shanghai over the past weekend, underscoring the growing momentum of the city's tourism market.

Last Saturday, two cruise ships, the Spectrum of the Seas and Mein Schiff 6, arrived in Shanghai with nearly 6,000 tourists, setting a new single day record for daily inbound arrivals at the city's Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal.

Two more ships, the MSC Magnifica and Adora Magic City, arrived the next day, docking alongside Mein Schiff 6. For the first time this year, the terminal received three cruise ships docked simultaneously.

Impressed by China's customs services, tourists shared their feelings after landing.

"The service is very good, very fast. Everything is very quick," said a tourist.

"We're going to Disneyland. It's a cool trip," another tourist expressed her expectations.

During the two-day period, Shanghai port handled more than 20,000 passenger entries and exits, more than half of which were made by international travelers. Over 90 percent of them are benefiting from the visa-free policies.

"[I traveled from] Chengdu to here. I'm here to Beijing and Beijing to the UK," a tourist talked about his schedule, whose destinations in China all covered in the visa-free policies.

"Very good, excellent policy, and anything that reduces the amount of time. We had a week in ten days in China already, then we're gonna come back into the city to do some shopping," another senior visitor said.

Authorities have also introduced measures to improve the visa process.

"To ensure a smooth entry, officials will get on the ships in advance to perform inspections. So, passengers can start their trips as soon as they disembark. While at the airports, we have also provided an online submission system for arrival cards. That will also save their time," said Zhu Xiaoxiang, Deputy Director of Immigration Inspection Division under Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection.

So far this year, Shanghai's customs and immigration agents have processed more than ten million visitors, with 305,000 international passenger trips through cruise terminals, marking a prosperous tourism market.

Over 8,000 cruise passengers touch down in Shanghai, providing major tourism boost