The president of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, reported this Tuesday (07.09.2021/XNUMX/XNUMX) regarding the China's willingness to move toward a free trade agreement between the two.
According to the president's announcement at a press conference, the Asian country responded affirmatively to a request in this regard. On the occasion, the holding of a meeting was announced pre-feasibility studies with the aim of completing them by the end of the year.
Before speaking with the media, the President of Uruguay shared this perspective with the leaders of the five parties in the governing coalition, as well as the Intransigent Radical Ecologist Party and the opposition Broad Front, who were summoned together.
Luis Lacalle Pou also reported that Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo communicated this to the president of Argentina and interim president of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), Alberto Fernández, and to the remaining partners of the bloc, Brazil and Paraguay.
Lacalle Pou also confirmed that Brazil is aware of the situation and said that there is an acceptable response on the issue. “This formal response from China makes us very excited,” he stressed. Regarding the United States, as with other countries in the world, he said that Uruguay is open to signing trade agreements. “We want to open up to the world, we have that vocation,” he insisted.
China represents 30% of Uruguay's foreign trade, mainly raw materials. The president predicted a lot of work to achieve exchanges in the areas of services, technology, tourism and electronics. “We trust in the work of Uruguayans, in the excellence of what they produce. We must lower the tariff barriers that are placed before us in order to enter into competition on equal terms (…). With this open field, Uruguayans will do well,” he emphasized. (Press release from the Presidency of Uruguaywow)
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