Chinese President Xi Jinping used a high-level meeting with Uruguayan leader Yamandu Orsi in Beijing to promote his vision of a fundamentally reshaped international order — one grounded not in unchallenged U.S. dominance but in what he called an “equal and orderly multipolar world.” Xi’s remarks on Tuesday came as both sides agreed to deepen bilateral ties and expand cooperation across multiple sectors, highlighting China’s broader push to strengthen relations beyond its immediate neighbourhood.
Speaking to Orsi, who is leading a large Uruguayan delegation of officials and business leaders through a visit that runs to Feb. 7, Xi said that China and Uruguay should collaborate to advance a multipolar global system and “inclusive, universally beneficial economic globalization.” He framed that vision as part of building a “community with a shared future for mankind” — language Beijing uses to describe its preferred model of international engagement.
The encounter also has symbolic weight amid global geopolitical strains. Orsi’s visit is the first by a South American head of state to Beijing since U.S. forces carried out a high-profile operation in Venezuela in January, underlining China’s desire to reinforce ties with countries in Latin America even as Western powers press for influence. Analysts say Beijing’s outreach signals that many nations in the Global South remain eager to engage with China’s economic and diplomatic agenda despite mounting geopolitical polarization.
Economic links underpin the political messaging. China was Uruguay’s largest export destination in 2025, taking everything from wood pulp and soybeans to beef, and Montevideo ran a trade surplus with Beijing in the first half of the year. In return, Uruguay imports Chinese machinery, electronics and chemicals.
The two leaders also signed a series of cooperation agreements covering trade, environmental protection, science and technology, and intellectual property, and expressed an interest in launching negotiations toward a free-trade deal that might eventually involve Mercosur.
Xi’s emphasis on multipolarity echoes Beijing’s broader critique of what it sees as unilateral actions by Western powers and reflects China’s strategic effort to position itself as a champion of sovereign equality and multilateral engagement in an era of shifting global power balances.
