Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi on Friday praised the Uruguay-China Business and Investment Forum in Shanghai as a key platform to expand trade ties, as 350 officials and entrepreneurs gathered to promote Uruguay as a reliable destination for investment.
In his keynote address, Orsi highlighted Uruguay's role as a gateway to South America and expressed welcome to Chinese investors to look beyond the market toward long-term strategic partnership.
"Built on close institutional cooperation, Chinese companies are already operating in Uruguay across logistics, biotechnology, telecommunications, finance, and industry. I invite you to see Uruguay not merely as a market, but as a strategic partner, a reliable platform, and a gateway to South America," said Orsi at the forum.
China has been Uruguay's largest trading partner for more than a decade, with exports surpassing 3 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. That momentum was evident in Shanghai, where the forum's packed schedule of business matchmaking reflected growing demand for Uruguayan products.
The meat industry, in particular, seized the opportunity to deepen its foothold in China, after beef exports rose 16 percent year on year in 2025.
"Trust is a good word to signify our relationship. We are complementary countries. We can offer food and we can receive many kinds of products from China. We should incorporate more and more technology in our production," said Gaston Scayola, president of the National Meat Institute of Uruguay.
Beyond trade, cooperation is expanding into broader sectors, especially in sci-tech driven innovation areas and people-to people exchanges, according to Uruguayan officials.
"Not only commercial and products are very important, but incorporating science, technology, and innovation dimensions are very, very important for the future and the complementary capacity between China and Uruguay," said Miguel Sierra, president of the National Agricultural Research Institute of Uruguay.
"That's a key part of the strategic partnership that we have with China, where we do not only want to promote trade and business, but we also want to promote cooperation in other areas that are bit more sophisticated than trade, for example, innovation, science, technology, and also people-to-people connection," said Lucia Rodriguez, agricultural officer at the Uruguayan Embassy in China.
Orsi paid a seven-day state visit from February 1 to 7, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, coinciding with the 38th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Uruguay's Orsi lauds Shanghai forum as gateway for trade, cooperation with China
The unveiling ceremony for the Sino-Russian Consortium for Innovation in Forestry Education, Science and Industry took place in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Monday, prior to Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China on May 19-20.
Jointly initiated by Northeast Forestry University and Saint Petersburg State Forest Technical University, the consortium includes 48 universities, research institutes and enterprises from both countries.
It focuses on talent cultivation, joint research and cultural and industrial exchanges, promoting faculty and student exchanges, course sharing and joint labs to advance sustainable forestry development.
Representatives from the founding universities and an enterprise partner elaborated on the significance of the consortium and its expected impact.
Song Wenlong, president of Northeast Forestry University, highlighted the transformative nature of the partnership.
"The consortium marks a shift from loose exchanges to institutionalized, normalized and substantive cooperation. It has greatly enhanced the international cultivation of forestry talents and the original innovation capacity in scientific research, contributing Chinese and Russian wisdom and strength to deepening China-Russia good-neighborly friendship, empowering regional green development, and building a global ecological security barrier," said Song.
Irina Melnychuk, president of Saint Petersburg State Forest Technical University, spoke about the long-standing friendship and the new synergy the consortium aims to create.
"Our two universities have a long history of friendship. However, to enhance the effectiveness of our cooperation, we decided to establish this consortium. We hope it will generate this kind of synergy. For all those involved in this consortium, there is an opportunity to achieve such significant new results," said Melnychuk.
Alexander Resin, a representative of a Russian enterprise, emphasized the talent exchange and practical immersion opportunities the consortium will provide.
"Today, both China and Russia need highly professional and well-educated talents. Of course, this also provides opportunities for Chinese students to intern at Russian enterprises and for Russian students to intern at Chinese enterprises. This is a very beneficial exchange of ideas, plans, goals and tasks, as well as an opportunity to immerse oneself in real production processes," said Resin.
By 2025, China and Russia had established over 150 cooperative education institutions and programs.
Fifteen university alliances of similar types have brought together more than 800 universities from the two countries to carry out joint scientific research and collaborative innovation.
Sino-Russian forestry education consortium launched in northeast China for green growth
