Last week, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi expressed the firm intention of both countries to strengthen commercial and cultural relations by signing a Free Trade Agreement.
The announcement was met with some criticism, including from Senator José Mujica and the national secretary of the Communist Party, Juan Castillo. Mujica himself said he supported an "intensification" of trade relations with the Asian country, but that he would not use "the word" FTA, "because it could lead to anything", according to Telenoche.
This Sunday, the Minister of Industry and Mining Carolina Cosse defended the possible agreement and questioned those who focus on "the terms" and not the content. In an interview with Telenoche, the minister emphasised that it is necessary to negotiate "light on dogmas" and "clinging to principles".
"I am not going to tie myself to an acronym. What we are always going to do is to be part of the government's working team and put Uruguay's weak points on the table and work on its strengths," he said.
Cosse will lead a delegation to China on Wednesday to "promote cooperation in information and communication technology" and "attract investment in the sector", according to the Presidency.
The visit, which is part of the celebration of 30 years of relations between the two countries, will last until 6 February, according to a press release.
During the week, the minister will give two seminars and, together with her delegation, will meet with the China International Trade Promotion Agency (CCPIT) and visit major technology companies in Beijing and Shenzhen, a city located in the south of Canton province.
Cosse will be accompanied by the executive director of the investment and export promotion institute Uruguay XXI, Antonio Carámbula, the president of the Uruguayan Chamber of Information Technology (Cuti), Leonardo Loureiro, and the head of the Uruguay-China Chamber of Commerce, Gabriel Rozman.
In the communiqué, Carámbula highlights that the Asian giant "is one of the main issuers of investment in the world and in Latin America" and that "China is Uruguay's main trading partner in terms of goods", since in 2017, 28% of the total of goods from the southern country went to China.
Source: Montevideo Portal
Connect