Uruguay's dairy giant Conaprole is stepping up its presence in China, signing a strategic cooperation agreement with a local partner to strengthen commercial and technical ties.
The push comes as President Yamandu Orsi leads a week-long visit in China with a high-level business delegation until February 7.
Speaking to China Global Television Network (CGTN), Conaprole president Gabriel Fernandez Secco outlined plans to expand the cooperative's footprint in China and detailed its newly signed partnership with a Chinese dairy firm.
"This trip is very important for us. China is very important for us, it's the most important market in terms of dairy products. And Conaprole exports more than 80 percent of our products to more than 75 countries. We have a lot of clients here in China, but we want to improve our participation," he said.
According to Secco, shared investment in research and production technology will drive improvements in quality and long-term sustainability.
"Basically, the combination between the two, the technical equipment of the both companies to improve the quality, health, and sustainability of our production. Conaprole offers a wide range of products. But in terms of international markets, milk powder is the most important product, not only between Conaprole and the Chinese companies but worldwide. But we export all the products to the Chinese market. We think that we can add other products in the near future," he said.
Uruguay's Conaprole expands China dairy partnership
China's manufacturing sector has continued to accelerate its transformation and upgrading this year, moving faster toward high-end, intelligent and green development.
The country's consumer electronics industry has recently rolled out a steady stream of new models. A smartphone now features multiple advances in high-end manufacturing, such as a domestically developed memory chip used commercially in a flagship phone for the first time, offering lower power consumption and faster data transfer, or a flexible screen capable of withstanding millions of folds without breaking.
"Ultra-thin glass, only one-third the thickness of a human hair, is supported by more than 10 core technologies, and the entire chain is independently controllable," said Qi Yanjie, deputy director of the research and development center of a high-tech enterprise in east China's Wuhu City, while introducing a smartphone screen.
China's advanced manufacturing industry has continued to expand this year. In August, the added value of high-tech manufacturing and digital product manufacturing by industrial firms above the designated size increased 16.7 percent and 15.7 percent year on year, respectively. New growth drivers contributed more than 60 percent to growth in industrial output above the designated size, becoming a key engine driving the industrial economy.
Production methods have also been upgraded. At an intelligent manufacturing base in south China's Shenzhen City, nearly 30,000 orders pour in every day, with about 90 percent involving personalized customizations.
The base handles these orders using an intelligent system that increases efficiency and reduces costs. "Our intelligent production scheduling system can coordinate the overall scheduling of 300 million materials, and can basically complete the process from order intake to product shipping within 24 hours," said Liu Chuchun, head of the intelligent manufacturing base.
To date, China has built more than 56,000 basic-level smart factories, and artificial intelligence technologies have been adopted by over 30 percent of industrial enterprises above the designated size.
China's rising high-end manufacturing momentum not only strengthens the foundations of the domestic industrial economy, but also provides strong impetus for exports.
In August, the exports value of industrial enterprises above the designated size increased 11.1 percent year on year, maintaining double-digit growth for five consecutive months, with high-end equipment products serving as the main engine of foreign trade growth. "High-tech products such as photovoltaic modules, wind power equipment, high-end machine tools and industrial robots have become new calling cards for Chinese manufacturing going global, effectively contributing to technological progress, industrial upgrading and green transformation in other countries," said Ji Jianjun, a research fellow with the Institute for International Economic Research under the National Development and Reform Commission.
China's manufacturing sector moves further up value chain
