Exploring growth potential and unleashing cooperation momentum - China and Ukraine join hands to explore new opportunities for economic and trade development

Beijing, February 3 (Xinhua) -- Exploring Growth Potential and Releasing Cooperation Momentum - China and Ukraine Join Hands to Explore New Opportunities for Economic and Trade Development

Zou Duowei and Jiao Qiancheng

On the 3rd, the China Uruguay Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum, jointly hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Uruguay 21st Century Investment and Export Promotion Agency, was held in Beijing. More than 230 political and business figures from both countries gathered together to engage in exchanges in areas such as agricultural and food products, technological innovation, and digital economy, gathering strength to expand opportunities for economic and trade development between the two sides.

The holding of this forum coincides with President Orsi's state visit to China, which is of great and positive significance. "Mariana Ferreira, Executive Director of Uruguay's 21st Century Investment and Export Promotion Agency, said that about 80 important Uruguayan enterprise and institution leaders came to the forum, covering agriculture, logistics, manufacturing, energy, tourism and other fields. She hoped that everyone could take this opportunity to deepen pragmatic cooperation between the two sides and share development opportunities.

This year marks the 38th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Uruguay, with China being Uruguay's largest trading partner. Since the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership in 2023, bilateral trade has developed rapidly with various highlights: Uruguay's red wine, beef, dairy products and other products have provided more choices for Chinese consumers, while China's automobiles, home appliances, daily necessities and other products have greatly enriched the material life of the Uruguayan people.

The President of the Uruguayan National Meat Association, Quiva, stated that the Chinese market is large, growing rapidly, and full of regional diversity. In addition, meat products and delicacies have a good consumer base, high-quality logistics chains, and cold chain acceptance capabilities. In the future, more high-quality meat products will be provided for Chinese consumers to choose from, releasing more momentum for promoting economic and trade cooperation between the two sides.

At present, the global scientific and technological innovation is unprecedentedly intensive and active, new technologies such as the Internet, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and so on are deeply evolving, and the intelligent industry and digital economy are booming. In 2025, the Sino Ukrainian Joint Laboratory for Biopharmaceuticals will be officially unveiled, the Sino Ukrainian Technology Transfer Center will be officially launched, and the Uruguay branch of the China Latin America Sustainable Food Innovation Center will be established in Ukraine. The cooperation between the two countries in the field of innovation has achieved remarkable results.

Uruguayan President Orsi previously stated, "I have noticed China's remarkable achievements in scientific and technological innovation, and I believe that one of Uruguay's future development directions is to strengthen innovation. Therefore, China's experience is very worth learning from

Liu Jiannan, Vice President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said, "We encourage Chinese enterprises to pay attention to the Uruguayan market and carry out investment cooperation with Uruguay in key areas that meet the needs of Uruguay's national strategic development, such as infrastructure construction, clean energy development, agricultural and animal husbandry science and technology applications. We also welcome Uruguayan enterprises to invest and start businesses in China to achieve greater achievements and better development in the process of participating in Chinese path to modernization and integrating into high-quality development."

There is significant complementarity between China and Uruguay in terms of resource endowment, technology, capital, and economic models, and the prospects for investment cooperation between the two sides are broad. The attending guests unanimously agreed that the business communities of the two countries should implement the important consensus reached at the China Uruguay summit, continue to explore the potential for cooperation in emerging fields such as green development, digital economy, artificial intelligence, and clean energy, and jointly promote the writing of a new chapter in bilateral economic and trade cooperation. (End)