President Yamandu Orsi is the first Latin American leader to visit China since the US military kidnapped Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro.
Published on February 3, 2026
Despite pressure from United States President Donald Trump, China and Uruguay have further strengthened their strategic partnership. Chinese influence from Latin America.
The two countries signed dozens of cooperation agreements in areas such as science, technology and trade on Tuesday, following a meeting between Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Recommended stories
4 List of itemsEnd of list
Orsi said in a post on social media that Uruguay was “pursuing active international participation, strengthening long-standing ties and creating new opportunities for the country’s development”.
Xi spoke with the Uruguayan leader about the need to promote a “multipolar world and comprehensive economic globalization” and deepened the “comprehensive strategic partnership” while working together for “common development,” according to a Chinese reading of the meeting.
Orsi’s seven-day China tour began on Sunday and will take him to Shanghai next. A 150-member delegation, including business leaders and other government officials, accompanies the President.
His trip is being closely watched as he became the first Latin American leader to visit China since Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was kidnapped by US special forces in a bloody attack in early January.
Orsi said shortly after Maduro’s abduction that Uruguay rejected the use of military intervention but later added that his ouster was “good news, because the authoritarian regime no longer exists and democracy is emerging”, according to local media.
Even so, Orsi’s dealings with China could still irritate Trump, who is trying Re-establish US supremacy In the Western Hemisphere.
As part of this vision, according to the White House’s November 2025 National Security Strategy, the US aims to make the region “free from hostile foreign intrusion” – a thinly veiled reference to China.
William Yang, senior analyst for Northeast Asia at the International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera that Orsi was signaling the US would not “back off” from its relationship with China, despite Trump’s warnings.
“Bringing with him a delegation of 150 people, including business leaders, the trip sends a message that China is a top economic and trade partner for countries in Latin America and is committed to continuing its engagement with Beijing,” Yang said.
According to data released on Orsi’s Facebook account, China is the top export market for Uruguayan exports such as beef, soybeans and dairy products, which were worth $3.49 billion last year. Uruguay imported $2.8 billion worth of goods from China last year.
Orsi is not the only leader willing to upset Washington and reach out to China.
The trip by the Uruguayan leader follows a recent visit United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir StarmerCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Yang said that “it is important to note that this trend does not mean that countries are starting to fundamentally change from the US”.
“Instead, they are trying to recalculate the gap between themselves and the world’s two major economies,” he said.
Unlike the Trump administration – China has used meetings with world leaders to convey the message that it is a reliable diplomatic partner and prefers to build relationships, Yang added.