President Yamandu Orsi is the primary Latin American chief to go to China because the US navy kidnapped Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro.
Revealed On 3 Feb 2026
China and Uruguay have moved to deepen their strategic partnership regardless of strain from United States President Donald Trump to maintain Chinese influence out of Latin America.
The 2 nations signed a dozen cooperation agreements on Tuesday in areas akin to science, expertise, and commerce following a gathering between Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi and his Chinese language counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing.
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Orsi stated in a submit on social media that Uruguay is “pursuing an energetic worldwide engagement, strengthening long-term ties, and creating new alternatives for the nation’s growth”.
Xi spoke to the Uruguayan chief about the necessity to promote a “multipolar world and inclusive financial globalisation” whereas working collectively for “widespread growth” as they deepen their “complete strategic partnership”, in response to a Chinese language readout of the assembly.
Orsi’s seven-day journey to China started on Sunday and can subsequent take him to Shanghai. A 150-person delegation, together with enterprise leaders and different authorities officers, is accompanying the president.
His journey is being intently watched as he turns into the primary Latin American chief to go to China since US particular forces kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a bloody evening raid on Caracas in early January.
Orsi stated within the fast aftermath of Maduro’s abduction that Uruguay rejected using navy intervention however later added that his removing was “excellent news, insofar because the authoritarian regime ceases to exist and democracy emerges”, in response to native media.
Even so, Orsi’s dealings with China might nonetheless rile up Trump, who’s making an attempt to reassert US dominance over the Western Hemisphere.
As a part of this imaginative and prescient, the US goals to maintain the area “freed from hostile overseas incursion” – a thinly veiled reference to China – in response to the White Home’s November 2025 Nationwide Safety Technique.
William Yang, senior analyst for Northeast Asia on the Worldwide Disaster Group, instructed Al Jazeera that Orsi was signalling to the US that he wouldn’t be “deterred” from pursuing ties with China regardless of Trump’s warnings.
“By bringing a delegation of 150 folks, together with enterprise leaders, with him, the journey sends a message that China stays the highest financial and buying and selling companion for nations in Latin America, they usually stay dedicated to persevering with their engagement with Beijing,” Yang stated.
China is a high export marketplace for Uruguayan exports akin to beef, soya bean and dairy, which had been valued at $3.49bn final 12 months, in response to data launched on Orsi’s Fb account. Uruguay additionally imported $2.8bn in items from China final 12 months.
Orsi will not be the one chief keen to succeed in out to China no matter upsetting Washington.
The Uruguayan chief’s journey follows current visits by United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Yang stated it was “vital to notice that this pattern doesn’t imply nations are initiating a basic shift away from the US”.
“Reasonably, they’re in search of to recalibrate the space between themselves and the world’s high two economies,” he stated.
China has additionally made use of the conferences with world leaders to ship the message that it’s a dependable diplomatic companion and one which prioritises constructing relationships – in contrast to the Trump administration, Yang added.
