Leaders meet as nations mark 38 years of relations

　　President Xi Jinping holds a welcoming ceremony for Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi on Tuesday in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People before their talks in Beijing. Xi held talks with Orsi, who is on a state visit to China from Sunday to Saturday, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday. FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY

　　On Feb 3, 1988, China and Uruguay — separated by vast oceans — established diplomatic relations, opening a chapter of engagement grounded in mutual respect and shared interests.

　　And on the same day 38 years later, President Xi Jinping and Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi revisited that journey and looked ahead, pledging to carry forward their traditions and further deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership.

　　The two leaders, who met in Beijing on Tuesday, also witnessed the signing of 19 cooperation documents in areas including investment promotion and trade, and the release of a joint statement.

　　Orsi is on a weeklong state visit to China, becoming the first Latin American head of state to visit the country in the new year amid a series of high-level foreign visits.

　　The visit, which began on Sunday and includes a stop in Shanghai, also marks Orsi's first trip to the world's second-largest economy since he took office in March 2025, following three visits prior to assuming the presidency.

　　Calling Orsi a good friend of the Chinese people, Xi said that the two countries have emerged as a model of peaceful coexistence between nations with different social systems, win-win cooperation between economies of different sizes, and mutual learning among different civilizations.