Uruguayan delegates at this week's China–Uruguay Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum expressed strong confidence in China's economic prospects and said they anticipate new cooperation opportunities between the two nations.
The forum, held in Beijing on Tuesday, brought together more than 160 delegates, including Chinese and Uruguayan officials and representatives from a broad range of enterprises, including those involved in engineering, finance, telecommunications, and tourism.
The event coincided with Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi's week-long state visit to China from Feb 1 to 7, and came after he held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday morning, where the two leaders agreed to deepen cooperation in various sectors.
Agustin Robaina, manager of the port department at Navios South American Logistics Inc., singled out China's mobile app ecosystem for praise.
"Well, before coming here, the organizers of the trip recommend us a few apps that will help us a lot here in China to get connected and to communicate with others. So now we are all using WeChat, Alipay, Didi," he said.
Mariana Ferreira, executive director of Uruguay XXI, the country's export and investment agency, underlined the strength of the existing trade relationship and said Uruguay sought to deepen cooperation with China.
"Uruguayan companies are making business with the Chinese companies and we know that the companies from China needs to go abroad and we are with open arms to receive Chinese companies here. We think that we have more opportunities that for more Uruguayan companies to invest here in China as well," she said.
Eduardo Urgal, a director at Frigorifico San Jacinto, said that sales to the Chinese market represent a significant share of his company's revenues.
"It's about 30 percent to 35 percent, I would say. We have a bigger goal and understand the conditions starting this year will be good for that," said Urgal, adding that he believes that sales in China will definitely make up more than 40 percent of his company's revenues this year.
Jorge Cernadas, CEO of the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay, called for China and Uruguay to seek common development in science and technology.
"Our expectation here is to try to find other technological parks. This morning, for example, we visit the TusPark. So we found a lot of synergies between our companies. So we think that we can close deals to collaborate together. Yesterday, in the Embassy of Uruguay, we had a presentation of the Free Port of Hainan. We think that is a good opportunity for investors of Uruguay to locate their own facilities there," he said.
Uruguayan delegates at trade forum express confidence in China's economic prospects
The 10th China-Russia Expo opened on Sunday in Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang in northeast China, highlighting the resilience, vitality and mutual benefits of China-Russia economic ties.
Held from May 17 to 21, this year's expo covers a floor space of 55,000 square meters, with more than 1,500 companies from 46 countries and regions taking part. Nearly 300 Russian companies are attending, while over 5,000 buyers are expected.
Since 2014, the event has attracted more than 7,200 Chinese and Russian companies and over a million visitors.
The China-Russia Expo is the largest comprehensive exhibition platform between the two countries.
President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin each sent congratulatory letters to the event, encouraging all sectors from both countries to seize the opportunity, make full use of their geographical proximity and economic complementarity, and further expand all-round practical cooperation.
"Leaders of the two countries have signed agreements to deepen practical cooperation, which we fully support. Russia and China stand side by side for common development, benefiting young people and all people. Such cooperation is timely and far-reaching. We are here in Harbin for the China-Russia Expo, coming from Russia's Sakha Republic. Our region is dominated by agriculture. We are seeking advanced farming technologies including irrigation equipment and harvesters. We hope to reach deals in the coming days to boost local development," said Vasiliy Petrovich Alexeev, head of Ust-Aidan Region of the Russian Federation.
"We are greatly inspired by the congratulatory letters from the heads of state of China and Russia. We will keep building targeted and efficient cooperation platforms, and smooth channels for sub-national exchanges between China and Russia," said Chen Shijun, president of Heilongjiang Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
China-Russia trade volume has surpassed 200 billion U.S. dollars for three consecutive years. China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 16 years running.
In the first quarter of this year, bilateral trade volume hit 60 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of more than 14 percent.
This year's Expo features eight major exhibition zones. Beyond the exhibition halls, Russian delegations have also conducted field visits to Chinese companies. A delegation from the Republic of Buryatia visited one of northeast China's largest building materials distribution centers to explore potential areas of cooperation.
"Regular China-Russia economic and trade events continuously bring fresh cooperation opportunities for both sides. This field trip to Xilong Building Materials Market has helped us explore more practical directions and modes for bilateral cooperation," said Alexei Tsydenov, head of the Republic of Buryatia of the Russian Federation.
"Relying on Buryatia's abundant mineral resources and sound logistics conditions, we plan to build industrial parks focusing on home building materials, mineral resources and energy sectors in Russia. We will introduce advanced Chinese technologies and management models to drive coordinated industrial upgrading between the two countries," said Wu Jinrong, vice president of Harbin Xilong International Trade and Logistics Park.
From everyday consumer goods to advanced helicopters, and from mineral resources to intelligent robotics, China-Russia cooperation now spans a wide range of sectors. Economic ties and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries continue to advance toward higher-quality development and broader prospects.
China-Russia Expo promotes trust, cooperation, mutual benefit
China-Russia Expo promotes trust, cooperation, mutual benefit
