Uruguay bolsters strategic, economic partnership with China: observers

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

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