Trade and government officials from Uruguay praised the country's economic ties with China, emphasizing the importance of equality and mutual respect in international partnerships.
Their remarks came as Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi traveled to China on Sunday for a seven-day state visit.
Martín Mercado, vice president of Uruguay's Official Investment and Export Promotion Agency, underscored China's role as Uruguay's main trading partner and destination.
"This year, China is once again consolidated as the main buyer of Uruguayan goods. For the period closing on November 30th, it remains Uruguay's main buyer, and nothing indicates this trend will change. Over the last fourteen or fifteen years, China became the main buyer of goods, and it will continue to be so this year," he said.
The national director of Uruguay's Telecommunications and Audiovisual Communication Services, Pablo Siris, highlighted the importance of the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) put forward by China in September 2025, particularly for developing countries.
"For Uruguay, as for all Global South countries, but particularly for the small countries of the Global South, an initiative that considers countries on an equal footing, on a basis of sovereign equality, is very important. The defense of multilateralism as the path to solving humanity's greatest problems and major challenges is very important," he said.
The GGI was proposed to promote the building of a more just and equitable global governance system and work together for a community with a shared future for humanity. Since its launch, over 150 countries and international organizations have expressed their welcome and support for the initiative.
Uruguayan officials highlight economic ties with China, praise efforts in promoting global governance
Uruguayan officials highlight economic ties with China, praise efforts in promoting global governance
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
