China's Xi calls for 'equal, multipolar world' as he meets Uruguay leader

China and Uruguay should should work together to advance an "equal and orderly multipolar world", President Xi Jinping told his counterpart Yamandu Orsi on Tuesday, according to a media pool report.

Orsi's visit is the first by a South American leader to the Chinese capital since the United States invaded Venezuela in January and captured then President Nicolas Maduro in a raid.

China and Uruguay should "work together to advance an equal and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive, universally beneficial economic globalisation," Xi said in his remarks, aiming to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

The meeting comes in the wake of a flurry of visits to China by Western leaders this year, from Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

Orsi said his visit aimed to "empower Uruguay in the world and generate opportunities, investment and development" in a Facebook comment on Sunday, following his arrival in Beijing.

He is leading a delegation of 150, including business leaders, on a visit that runs until February 7, which will also take in the commercial capital of Shanghai.

The timing is symbolically important for China, said Francisco Urdinez, a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

"For Beijing, hosting Orsi ... signals that South American countries remain eager to engage, despite the increasingly polarised geopolitical environment."

China was the top destination for Uruguayan agricultural products from wood pulp to soybeans and beef. Uruguay ran a trade surplus of $187.1 million with China in the first half of 2025.

The South American nation imports machinery, electronics and chemicals from China.