Uruguay’s President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou is on a state visit to China from Nov. 20 to 24, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The visit is expected to boost bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields, such as trade, investment, agriculture, and culture.
Lacalle Pou is the first Uruguayan president to visit China since 2016 when his predecessor Tabaré Vázquez met with Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Uruguay and China established diplomatic ties in 1988, and have maintained friendly and stable relations ever since. China is Uruguay’s largest trading partner, accounting for about 30% of its exports and 20% of its imports in 2022. Uruguay has also signed a memorandum of understanding with China on the Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure and development project.