The audience between the presidents of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi, and the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, took place in the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, and included a protocol ceremony with military honors and Orsi’s salute to the flag of the People’s Liberation Army, in addition to the review of troops. The meeting, a central activity on the official agenda in the Asian country,
Orsi is the first president of Latin America to be received by Xi Jinping in 2026 and the fifth head of state who traveled to Beijing in January to hold a summit with Jinping, after meetings with the English Prime Minister, Keir Starmer; the Finnish Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo; the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, and the Head of Government of Ireland, Micheál Martin. At the end of December, French President Emmanuel Macron attended.
“The final communiqué of the meeting of Presidents Xi and Orsi expresses the deepening of a long journey of relations between Uruguay and China appropriate to the new phase we are experiencing in the world,” said Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin.
“The agreements that we signed this morning to increase cooperation in commercial, environmental, industrial, fishing, aviary, emergency management and intellectual property aspects, among other aspects, bring the agreements between the two presidents to reality,” he added.
The minister announced that the next package of agreements will be signed before concluding the visit in Shanghai this week on innovation, science and technology, “they complete the main topics that we will address bilaterally in the coming months and years.”
After the bilateral summit, the delegations of both countries signed a series of agreements. In the afternoon, President Orsi met with the Prime Minister of China, Li Qiang, and the president of the National People’s Congress, Zhao Leji. In addition, he went to Tiananmen Square to lay a wreath at the National Heroes Monument.
Uruguay and China established formal diplomatic relations in 1988, beginning sustained bilateral cooperation. During the first year of President Orsi’s government, the link with China was marked by milestones such as the president’s meeting with Vice Prime Minister Ding Xuexiang at the Suárez residence and the meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Han Jun, at the Estévez Palace.
This mission represents a strategic commitment by Uruguay to strengthen its international insertion, generate new trade and investment opportunities, deepen cooperation in key areas such as science and technology, and consolidate a bilateral bond that contributes to the growth and development of the country.
Bilateral agreements
After the summit, the official delegations of both nations signed several memorandums of understanding in different areas aimed at:
• Promotion of investment and industrial cooperation, between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay and the National Development and Reform Commission of China.
• Strengthening cooperation in science, technology and innovation, between the National Secretariat of Science and Knowledge Valuation of Uruguay and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China.
• Environmental cooperation, between the Uruguayan Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China.
• Sustainable management of fishery resources, between the Uruguayan Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China.
• Deepening bilateral cooperation to facilitate trade, between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay and the Ministry of Commerce of China.
• Inspection, quarantine and food safety for the import and export of poultry meat, between the MGAP and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China.
• Promote the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, between the Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation of Uruguay and the International Development Cooperation Agency of China.
• Cooperation in emergency management, between the National Emergency System of Uruguay and the Ministry of Emergency Management of China.
• Cooperation in the field of intellectual property, between the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining of Uruguay and the National Intellectual Property Administration of China.
• Joint promotion of cooperation and dissemination between media and Think Tanks of the Global South, between the Secretariat of Institutional Communication of the Presidency of Uruguay and the Xinhua News Agency, as well as another with the Chinese media group.
• Cooperation in trade promotion and investments, between the Uruguay XXI Investment, Export and Country Brand Promotion Agency and the Chinese Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
Likewise, on the occasion, the MGAP of Uruguay and the General Administration of Customs of China signed a protocol on the inspection, quarantine and food safety requirements for the import and export of poultry meat.
In this context, the authorities announced a series of agreements in which progress is being made:
• Two memoranda of understanding involving the National Secretariat of Science and Knowledge Valuation of Uruguay and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, related to the exchange program for young scientists and the strengthening of the Joint Laboratory in Soja.
• Two protocols between the MGAP and the General Administration of Customs of China on exports of bovine gallstones and pecans.
• An agreement between the National Audiovisual Communication Service and the Xinhua News Agency for the exchange of news and a memorandum of understanding between said service from Uruguay and media groups from China on cooperation.
• An agreement between Antel and the Chinese media group for channel distribution.
In this period, Uruguay has already signed cooperation agreements in innovation, science and technology, based on the visit of a delegation made up of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the University of the Republic and the Technological University. Likewise, in May 2025, it participated in the forum of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) and China, held in Beijing, where the importance of the relationship between
Latin America, the Caribbean and China
Expanding trade: Cellulose and beef, main exported products
China remained, in 2025, the main destination for exports of Uruguayan goods. According to the Annual Foreign Trade Report of Uruguay XXI, sales to the Chinese market reached 3,493 million dollars, which is equivalent to 26% of the total exported, this is 12% more than in 2024.
The destination of 86% of Uruguayan soybean exports was the Asian country, with year-on-year increases of 31% in value and 45% in volume. It was also the main buyer of pulp produced in Uruguay, with 46% of the total exported and acquisitions for 1,055 million dollars. The data is from the report on China prepared by Uruguay XXI.
Beef was the third export item to China, with sales of almost 724 million dollars and an increase of 16% in value. In terms of tariffs, Uruguay has a quota to enter that market about 324,000 tons of beef, a volume greater than the flows exported in 2025, which allows it to operate without incurring extra-quota tariffs.
In terms of imports, China was the main country of origin of Uruguayan purchases, equivalent to 2,976 million dollars, close to 26% of the total imported. Machinery and electronic equipment for 920 million dollars, vehicles and parts for 572 million and chemical products for 364 million were the main products.
The main product imported by Uruguay from China were automobiles, which represented 19% of the total; electrical machines, appliances and material, 16%, and mechanical machinery and equipment, including computer equipment, 15%.
Investments in Uruguay: Refrigerators, agribusiness and international trade in raw materials
China is the world’s third largest emitter of foreign direct investment, with a stock of outbound investment that exceeds $163 billion. It is among the main global investors, along with the United States, the European Union and Japan. Since 1997, Uruguay and China have maintained the Agreement for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments, which establishes stable, equitable and transparent conditions for investors.
Companies of Chinese origin installed in Uruguay are present in strategic areas, such as the refrigeration industry, agribusiness, international trade in raw materials (commodities), logistics and port infrastructure, telecommunications and information technologies, biotechnology and life sciences, manufacturing of industrial and consumer goods, as well as retail trade and corporate services. In recent years, it has increasingly participated in the energy sector and technologies associated with the energy transition.
