Uruguay seeks to deepen, diversify already robust trade partnership with China: official

As Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi begins his state visit to China, this South American country is aiming to use the occasion to strengthen and broaden already robust economic ties with its largest export partner, China, an economic official has said.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Orsi is paying a week-long state visit to China from Feb. 1 to 7.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Martin Mercado, deputy executive director of Uruguay XXI, the country's export and investment agency, signaled the country's readiness to advance beyond traditional trade with China and capitalize on the momentum in their bilateral relationship.

"The stage of our economic cooperation, our trade between Uruguay and China is robust and dynamic. As of December 2025, China represents 26 percent of all the goods exported by Uruguay. So it's our main economic partner in terms of goods exports. And I think we're at a stage right now that we can move forward into more diverse basket of goods. This 26 percent is dominated mainly by soybean, beef and cellulose, so I think this stage is set to move forward," said Mercado.

Orsi's visit marks his first to China since taking office in 2025. It also coincides with the 38th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Uruguay on February 3, a symbolic backdrop for a trip aimed at further deepening the China-Uruguay comprehensive strategic partnership.

Mercado expressed hopes that the visit will lead to a concrete work plan for expanded trade, as well as enhanced technical and scientific cooperation in the coming years.

"A big part of our private sector is coming along with our president. This means a trust in the Uruguayan and Chinese relationship for the past 40 years and I think it'll be a good time to strengthen economic relationships, and that in the next few years, with this visit, we can have a work plan and widen our basket of goods exported and technical and scientific cooperation between Uruguay and China. It's a good time for expansion of our relationship, seeing how the world trade is conducted right now," said the Uruguayan official.

In 2018, Uruguay became the first ERCOSUR country to join the Belt and Road Initiative. Mercado highlighted the BRI as a timely mechanism to enhance Uruguay-China trade efficiency.

"This is a good opportunity to take advantage of the Belt and Road Initiative. We're pretty far apart and trade cost can be high sometimes. Uruguay has been a member, part of it for quite a few years and I think this brings to the table an opportunity for a smooth and better trade. This could lower trade cost between the two nations," he said.

Uruguay seeks to deepen, diversify already robust trade partnership with China: official

A British business leader hailed UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's just-concluded official visit to China as a distinct ice-breaking mission, calling on the UK and China to embrace each other in business.

Jack Perry Junior, chairman of the London-based 48 Group, said Starmer's visit to China from January 28 to 31, the first by a British prime minister in eight years, came after other European leaders had made trips of their own to China in recent weeks, showing great willingness to cooperate.

"You can see European leaders going to China one after the other. What does that mean? The opportunity is in China. The opportunity for China is in Europe. And we're embracing it and we're saying we want to work," he said.

"More VC capital is going into the UK and AI companies than anywhere else in Europe. China is a leader in technology. You look at what is coming from energy, quantum, AI, robotics. The UK can play with China in the biggest form of business," he said.

This ice-breaking spirit, Perry emphasized, is a direct legacy of his forebears who first bridged the divide and opened the door to cooperation with China.

"For me, Keir Starmer, our prime minister, going to China, with President Xi Jinping, shows one thing and one thing only, ice-breaking spirit. And at the 48 Group we support that and any business in the UK, we showcase that you can do something and it's possible," he said.

In 1954, Jack Perry Junior's grandfather Jack Perry Senior, founder of the London Export Corporation, led a group of 48 British businessmen on a historic trade mission to Beijing and helped deliver one of the first modern-day trade links with China, effectively breaking the U.S.-led Western embargo on the newly founded Asian country. The 48 men were the precursors of the 48 Group Club. The trip became known as the "Icebreaking Mission," and the club members were called "icebreakers."

UK should work with China to embrace opportunities: British business leader