The Consulate General of Uruguay in Guangzhou hosts a celebration marking the country's 200th anniversary of independence on August 25, 2025, in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province. (Photo: Consulate General of Uruguay in Guangzhou)
Uruguay's 200th anniversary of independence was celebrated on August 25 in Guangzhou, the capital of south China's Guangdong Province, with local officials, foreign diplomats, and representatives from Uruguayan businesses and partner institutions in attendance.
Li Hongzhi, deputy director-general of Guangdong's Foreign Affairs Office, highlighted the long-standing friendship between China and Uruguay. He noted that the two countries have built strong ties in trade, agriculture, education, science and technology, and culture.
China has been Uruguay's largest trading partner and top export destination for more than a decade. Li pointed out that in 2024, trade between Uruguay and Guangdong reached 6.57 billion yuan (around $918 million), an increase of 9.4 percent year on year.
Li also cited advances in cooperation, including a strategic agreement between the China-LAC Technology Transfer Center in Dongguan and Uruguay's University of the Republic, as well as the establishment of the China-Uruguay Technology Transfer Center in Montevideo. He praised the Uruguayan Consulate General in Guangzhou for its "strong support and active effort" in driving these achievements.
Looking ahead, Li said Guangdong aims to deepen cooperation with Uruguay in areas ranging from trade and education to tourism, new energy vehicles, and cultural exchanges, as the province advances comprehensive reforms, expands high-level opening-up, and promotes the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Uruguayan Consul General in Guangzhou, Facundo Simón Fernández Guerra, also addressed the gathering, underscoring the depth of bilateral relations. "Both countries have 37 years of diplomatic ties and 70 years of established trade relations," he said, stressing the natural complementarity between the two economies.
Simón noted that the consulate general has strengthened cooperation across six provinces under its jurisdiction—Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hainan, and Guizhou—which together account for nearly 30 percent of Uruguay's exports to China.
He cited recent milestones, such as Uruguay's University of the Republic joining the Alliance of Soybean Producing Countries in 2023 under the initiative of South China Agricultural University, as well as active participation in trade fairs and commercial events in Guangdong's Shenzhen, one of China's first special economic zones.
On the cultural front, Simón highlighted a 2023 twinning agreement between the National Library of Uruguay and the Guangzhou Library—the first partnership the Guangzhou Library has established with a cultural institution in Latin America. The two sides have since launched joint book donation and literature exchange programs.
He also pointed to Uruguay's keen interest in the development of China's Hainan Free Trade Port, which he said "represents enormous potential for bilateral trade relations while also highlighting China's forward-looking vision in global commerce."
Quoting a long-held national maxim, Simón added: "Uruguay is international, or nothing. With that international spirit—a defining feature of our 200 years of existence—celebrating this day in a friendly country with which we share a comprehensive strategic partnership and a promising future is an additional reason for celebration."
Reporter | Liu Xiaodi, Chen Sihan (intern)
Editor | Yuan Zixiang, James Campion, Shen He
