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
An American content creator has given his take on a surprising new viral trend which has taken social media by storm, as global internet users joke about entering a "very Chinese phase" of their lives.
The unexpected phenomenon which is sweeping across the online world shines a new spotlight on Chinese culture and lifestyle, and sees users declare they are "becoming Chinese" alongside the phrase "you've met me at a very Chinese time of my life," accompanied by videos of them adopting Chinese habits on various social media platforms.
U.S. influencer Paul Mike Ashton, known online as 'BaoBaoXiong', gained fame for coining the phrase which led to the "city or not city" meme back in 2024.
As for this latest online sensation, Ashton believes it's not just another amusing meme, but also a casual way to experience Chinese culture through everyday details, rather than abstract stereotypes.
He said the current wave is giving foreign audiences a fresh, tangible perspective on China, which makes cultural exchange more engaging and relatable.
"As a content creator, I absolutely think that this is going to be changing the way people perceive China in general. Oftentimes when we need simplified stories, we need people to see things as a whole unit as opposed to their little parts. I would say even just the practice of doing these things is giving you a chance to engage with the culture and engage with specifics instead of just kind of this big overall idea and getting new experience like 'OK, this particular form of life actually does really feel very nice and very comfortable'. I think it also gives a chance for Chinese creators to take more of a spotlight and actually talk a little bit more about their culture in ways that people will listen because there's a curiosity about this," he said.
Ashton also believes there are other deeper reasons for why this "becoming Chinese" trend has taken off, pointing to the current challenges and level of discontent many people feel in the U.S., which means many are looking for some form of escapism.
"I think I've heard somebody mention before kind of this idea that the U.S., politically and economically, is in a very sensitive time. There's a lot going on and there's a lot of unrest and a lot of unhappiness and a lot of unsatisfaction. So, I think that it's been proposed this idea that people are kind of looking for stuff outside of these sorts of traditional cultural superpowers to kind of find a sense of either excitement or safety or comfort," he said.
Ashton also pointed to how concerns over the future of the popular TikTok app early last year saw many online users flocking over to the Chinese mobile app RedNote as being another notable factor driving the emergence of these online trends.
He said this renewed global interest in Chinese culture has created fresh engagement channels on other international platforms.
"This is almost a year now since the initial TikTok refugee exodus last year in which a lot of people suddenly took interest in Chinese culture in a new way than before. So, I think there's been since then some opportunities to engage with and interact with Chinese culture in TikTok, in international social media, besides just China on its own that definitely I think has influenced this becoming a bigger trend," he said.
US influencer shares thoughts on 'Becoming Chinese' trend
