Uruguayan official urges cooperation in Sino-US trade negotiations

The world needs cooperation and multilateralism, not competition and unilateralism, a senior official from Uruguay said when commenting on the on-going Sino-US economic and trade negotiations.

Alvaro Garcia, director of the Uruguayan Office for Planning and Budget, said on Tuesday in Beijing that what the US did has a negative impact on the international community, and small countries such as Uruguay are negatively affected.

"As a small country, Uruguay attaches great importance to multilateralism and hopes to protect multilateralism, and we believe an open mindset is what current international relations need, and trade among countries must be open with increased international cooperation," he said.

Garcia also said, "The dispute between the world's two largest economies will directly impact the economic development of countries such as Uruguay… we hope China and the US cooperate, not compete. Cooperation is the answer to solve the dispute, and it is what the international community needs and hopes for."

Commenting on the US using state power to suppress Chinese company Huawei, Garcia said the restriction the US adopts on Chinese high-tech companies will harm all humanity, because the digital revolution across the world will bring benefits to all humanity, and what the world needs is opening-up and cooperation, not competition and restriction.

To improve the welfare and development of humanity, cooperation among countries is a must, he added.

Besides, he said the accusation from some US officials on Huawei's link with the Chinese government is groundless, and if they believe Huawei has access to and controls user information, others can also suspect the technologies of Western companies have similar control over information.

Such accusations are not helpful to find a solution to the Sino-US dispute, Garcia said, adding the world needs cooperation, not harmed trade ties because of ideological difference.

He said he appreciates the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit, and equality China upholds during the Sino-US trade negotiation, because he believes such principles are beneficial to sustainable development. Humanity needs the shared value of openness and multilateralism.

Garcia applauded China's further opening-up to the rest of the world, saying China has made "astonishing" progress in development in the past 10 years, which not only benefits the country but also the world.

Uruguay expects deepened relations with China, and hopes there will be more cooperation projects between Uruguay and China.