Uruguay calls on U.S. to focus more on MERCOSUR because “the only one” doing so is China

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo called on the United States to focus its attention on MERCOSUR because the only one now doing this is China, which is “constantly knocking on the doors” of the South American bloc.

“The United States must listen to us because the only one focusing its attention on us is China, which is constantly knocking on our doors because MERCOSUR is a very rich region. It is therefore essential that the US should recognize that there is a bloc still supporting the West, but they should be concerned and draw closer to our region,” said Uruguay’s Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo at an online conference organized by the Washington-based think tank Atlantic Council.

In early March, local media reported that the Uruguayan government considers China to be its “first priority market” and is developing a strategy to increase exports and attract investment.

In recent months the Ministries of Economy and Foreign Affairs have been preparing a plan to define specific strategies for the different markets. The “first priority market” is China, whose economy “is one of the few” in the world that “would recover its growth in 2021” and has been the main destination for Uruguayan exports since 2013, explained the director of International Economic Affairs, Victoria Francolino, in the committee of deputies.

In that respect, Lacalle Pou’s government will sign a Five-Year Joint Action Plan to implement the Uruguayan participation in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) led by China to promote trade and investment. In November 2020, the two countries completed “preliminary efforts” to sign an agreement associating itself with BRI when Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo travels to Beijing later this year.

Source: Búsqueda

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