The Secretary of the Presidency, Alvaro Delgado, assured that China is “very interested” in moving forward with the importation of more products from Uruguay, within the framework of his trip through the Asian giant, where he participates in the third Forum of The Belt and the Road for International Cooperation.
Although he did not mention the negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Chinese, Slim He assured that that country “is a strategic partner more than a commercial one, which we value comprehensively” and added that “the Belt and Road is an opportunity to advance what we are dreaming of.”
In a press conference, the leader highlighted that he seeks to add investments for the country in areas such as infrastructure and port development. “In addition, we seek to advance our objective, which is to export more Uruguayan products to China with greater added value, many of which we saw that there was a lot of interest in advancing,” he highlighted.
Delgado recalled that Uruguay was the first country of Mercosur in signing the memorandum of understanding on the cooperation of the Belt and Road Initiative and added: “It offers us opportunities for trade, investment, and above all, development.”
In this regard, he indicated that the government seeks to continue deepening the cooperative relationship with its Asian counterpart and promote an environment conducive to trade between companies from both countries.
Is the signing of an FTA with China possible?
The signature of a FTA with China It is an objective of this government, although that possibility does not materialize and is increasingly delayed, which is why some sectors were skeptical and others asked not to neglect the relationship with the Mercosur to the detriment of commerce with the nation he presides Xi Jinping.
However, days ago, the brand new ambassador of China in Uruguay, Huang Yazhongassured that from that country “there is no difficulty” for the agreement, but that “coordination is needed” from all parties.
Thus, he pointed out that “Uruguay is still a member of the Mercosur and there are concerns from other parts,” although he insisted that his country “always supports this idea of free trade.”
From the government, the Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Fernando Mattos, admitted last month that the signing should not be ruled out. “The president has insisted and Uruguay “He has many expectations,” he said.
At the same time, he admitted that “there are many aspects that we have pending with what is our main trading partner, even though today it is a little slow,” in reference to the possibility of expanding the products to be exported.
Source: Ambito
