Dialogue mechanism between Mercosur and China resumed after six years
The VII Meeting of the Dialogue Mechanism between the States Parties of Mercosur and the People’s Republic of China was held. The Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Nicolás Albertoni, pointed out that the realization of this meeting was one of the priorities defined by Uruguay when assuming the exercise of the pro tempore presidency of the regional bloc. “Uruguay has been a promoter of this dialogue,” he said.
The event was opened by Foreign Minister Omar Paganini, while the Uruguayan delegation was headed by the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Nicolás Albertoni. The delegation from the People’s Republic of China was led by the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of that country, Hua Chunying. For their part, the delegations from Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay were made up of high-ranking officials from their foreign ministries.
Albertoni said that the development of this forum was one of the priorities that Uruguay defined when it assumed the pro tempore presidency of Mercosur and that the country’s objective is to strengthen this area of dialogue. The fact of having achieved this first forum is an achievement in itself, he said.
The meeting was held again after six years, as the previous meeting took place in 2018, also under the temporary presidency of Uruguay. “Without a doubt, it confirms that Uruguay has been a promoter of this type of dialogue,” he said.
The leader explained that efforts were made to move forward in “tangible” steps. As an example, he reported that the Asian country committed to presenting a proposal to strengthen dialogue with Mercosur and that it was agreed to hold this meeting again in 2025.
He stressed that progress will be made on “issues of decreasing sensitivity.” “Access to markets is on the horizon, and in the meantime we will move forward on issues of cooperation and investments,” he said. For Albertoni, it is a middle path “that adapts to different realities.”
In addition to the Mercosur-level meeting, a meeting was held in the morning to review the bilateral agenda between Uruguay and China. The Undersecretary said that it was a “productive meeting” in which trade and investment issues were discussed.
