CIIE opens door to Uruguayan products in China: Ambassador

The China International Import Expo has opened a door for Uruguayan products to get access to China, said Juan Fernando Lugris, Uruguayan ambassador to China, on Tuesday in Shanghai.

"China is an important partner of Uruguay, and we hope to expand bilateral trade. We want to export more to China and diversify our exports to China. The expo provided us with such an opportunity; this is a fully prepared conference," Lugris said at a seminar promoting Uruguay's products to Chinese buyers.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Uruguay. The seminar is a part of the celebration activities, which is jointly organized by Uruguay XXI, an investment, export and country brand promotion agency, and the Embassy of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay in China and Consulate General of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay in Shanghai.

As the first country of Mercosur, a South American trade bloc, to sign the memorandum of understanding on the joint building of the Belt and Road Initiative with China, Uruguayan Foreign Affairs Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa said, "We believe this will enable our country to be an important logistics node in the South Atlantic region and become an efficient, reliable and secure platform for Chinese companies to establish themselves in Latin America."

In the first half of this year, trade volume between the two countries stood at 13.86 billion yuan, up 15.4 percent year-on-year, according to data from the General Administration of Customs. Major Uruguay export commodities to China include beef, dairy products, fish, wood, timber products, soybeans, wool, textiles and semi-precious stones.

"The exhibition represents a great achievement of the Chinese government, opening-up as a place for all different countries of the world to present their products in China," Lugris said.

The CIIE was held in Shanghai from Monday to Saturday, attracting more than 3,600 companies from over 172 countries and regions to participate in the event.