As President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay Yamandu Orsi started his state visit to China, some Chinese officials and analysts have emphasized growing economic cooperation and deepening strategic ties between the two countries.
Orsi, who is on a seven-day state visit to China, arrived in Beijing on Sunday, leading a senior delegation of officials and business leaders as Uruguay looks to deepen its growing trade and political partnership with China.
His visit coincides with the 38th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations on February 3.
Beef offers a tangible example of the strength of this relationship. For Uruguay, beef exports are a major economic driver, accounting for about 3 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). China has become one of Uruguay's biggest markets for beef, with a steady demand for high-quality imports.
"When we visited Uruguay in recent years, Uruguay's beef producers said about half of their beef is going to China. The cattle there are raised free-range, and the country has a well-established tracking system, so their beef is reliable in terms of quality and safety," said Zhou Meng, deputy general manager of International Business at COFCO Joycome.
China is also a major buyer of Uruguay's soybeans and pulp. It overtook Brazil as Uruguay's top export destination in 2013 and has maintained that position ever since, driven by strong Chinese demand and efficient trade channels.
Beyond economic links, political ties remain robust. Every Uruguayan president has visited China since 2013, reflecting Montevideo's consistent support for closer engagement with Beijing.
With global tensions rising and shifting U.S. foreign policy in the region, regional leaders are navigating more complex waters.
"At present, [U.S. President Donald] Trump has warned Latin American countries not to cooperate with China. Yet Uruguay, one of the wealthiest countries in the region, still chose to engage with China, ignoring these U.S. warnings. I think this clearly has some strategic significance," said Xu Tianqi, deputy director of the Areas Study Department at the RDCY think tank.
Uruguay bolsters strategic, economic partnership with China: observers
Uruguay bolsters strategic, economic partnership with China: observers
The ongoing fourth China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) entered its third day on Wednesday, with a packed agenda of events and product launches, including 10 product debut events, as participating companies began securing cooperation agreements with partners at home and from abroad.
The fourth edition of the five-day expo has drawn more than 670 exhibitors from 85 countries, regions and international organizations.
On Wednesday morning, a series of new product unveilings took place, with four companies presenting their latest innovations, including an upgraded security patrol robot dog and medical-grade home care products.
"This year, [we've] brought the new generation AI cloud-specific functions, the new generation AI Agent, and our embodied intelligence series products. [We hope] to leverage the CISCE platform to further promote [our products and technologies] to the global market," said Zhao Jie, secretary of the Board of Directors at NEXWISE Intelligence China Limited, a leading innovator in AI product research, development and manufacturing.
Beyond new product launch events, Wednesday's agenda also included three thematic exchange activities among which the morning's advanced manufacturing-themed event provided a platform for high-level exchanges in the sector.
According to organizers, this year's exhibition area of Advanced Manufacturing has gathered nearly 100 Chinese and foreign enterprises to present the complete supply chain ecosystem in such areas as high-end equipment, new materials and industrial automation.
Among the exhibits are the CR450 high-speed train, currently the world's fastest in terms of designed operational speed and China's independently developed series of new energy locomotives. These achievements underscore collaborative innovation across industrial and supply chains.
"In China's rail transit equipment industry, our company plays the role of a 'chain leader.' At the CISCE, we are actively engaging with manufacturers from various countries, in efforts to enable our partners from the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain and our new energy locomotive producers to go global in coordination," said Liu Huaxuan, overall designer of the locomotive development department at China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) Dalian Co., Ltd.
So far, enterprises from Italy, the United States, Spain have signed cooperation agreements with the guest-of-honor provinces of Hainan and Anhui.
Supply chain expo sees bunches of new product launches, new deals
