At 7:00 p.m. April 9th (UTC+8), SBS held a post-foreign-aid training exchange event on the theme of “The Impact of the New Silk Road on Shanghai and Uruguay”. Huang Yazhong, Ambassador of the Chinese Embassy in the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Wu Zhong, President of SBS, Yin Yanhai, Associate Professor of the School of Business Administration, Nienric Leder, Director of the Office of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, Gonzalo de Leon, Chairman of Centro de Estudios de Paysandú in Uruguay, Navarre Fernando Pontiliano, Professor of Logistics Engineering at Uruguayan University of Science and Technology, Carlos Martin Piovano, Director of International Affairs at Centro de Estudios de Paysandú in Uruguay, 23 former Uruguayan fellow participants in SBS’ foreign aid training, and representatives of teachers and students from SBS attended the event. Chen Wei, Executive Vice Dean of the College of International Education of Shanghai Business School and Vice Director of MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai), presided over the event.
Huang Yazhong, on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Uruguay, extended warm congratulations. He stated that the long-standing Silk Road has provides favorable conditions for friendly exchanges among countries. In the ten years since President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, its historic achievements has been scored. In recent years, bilateral relations between China and Uruguay have been constantly upgraded, and the Belt and Road Initiative has entered a new stage of high-quality development. Ambassador Huang Yazhong expressed that through this event, the wisdom of think tank experts could be gathered to provide suggestions for promoting the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road between China and Uruguay in the next phase.
Nienrich Ledell pointed out that Uruguay was the first Latin American and Caribbean country that expressed its intention to participate in the construction of the Belt and Road, one of the first Latin American countries to sign the MOU on the Belt and Road, and the first Southern Common Market country to sign the MOU. This activity is a useful exploration with mutual benefits and win-win cooperation between the two countries. He hopes that the Centro de Estudios de Paysandú continues to play the role of a think tank, contributing to the continuous development of the strategic partnership between China and Uruguay and the cooperation in various fields under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, benefiting the people of both countries.
Wu Zhong then delivered a welcoming speech. He introduced the progress of the foreign aid trainings at the MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai) of SBS. He pointed out that this year marks the 36th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Uruguay. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has continuously deepened, and cultural exchanges have become increasingly active, leading to the steady development of bilateral relations. In November of last year, President Lacalle visited China for the first time and jointly announced with President Xi that the elevation of bilateral relations from the strategic partnership to the comprehensive strategic partnership. From then on, China-Uruguay relations have entered a new stage of development. He hoped that this event will serve as an opportunity to focus on current hit topics such as cross-border e-commerce and logistics supply chain management between the two countries, contributing to the promotion of bilateral economic and trade cooperation and the solid advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Gonzalo de Leon expressed that the community connected by the Belt and Road has brought more opportunities and prosperity to the world, and the spirit of the Silk Road has been handed down from generation to generation. Centro de Estudios de Paysandú in Uruguay is willing to continuously play a bridging role and further promote the comprehensive deepening of cooperation between the Center and SBS. He quoted Confucius as saying, “Isn’t it a pleasure to have friends from afar?” to illustrate the sincere friendship between China and Uruguay.
In the second half of the event, experts and scholars in the field of logistics from China and Uruguay delivered keynote speeches. Yin Yanhai presented on the topic of “Optimize the Cross-border Supply Chain Model and Promote the Development of Cross-border E-commerce between China and Uruguay”, introducing the development trends of China’s cross-border e-commerce industry and providing suggestions on how to optimize the supply chain operation mode and promote the high-quality development of China-Uruguay trade. Around the theme of “the Current Situation and Future Challenges of Uruguay’s Logistics Industry in the Context of the Belt and Road”, Navarre Fernando shared the past and present of the Silk Road, and introduced the current situation of cooperation between Shanghai and Uruguay in various fields, especially on the logistics-wise. Finally, he outlined the prospects for cooperation between China and Uruguay in the field of logistics.
During the lively interactive session, Chinese and foreign experts and scholars actively discussed current hot issues such as cross-border e-commerce services, logistics cooperation between the two countries, and deep-water port construction, providing valuable insights and suggestions for promoting the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative between China and Uruguay in the next phase.
The successful organization of this event was driven by diligent efforts of Carlos Martin Piovano Andriolo, Director of International Relations at Centro de Estudios de Paysandú. As a distinguished alumnus of SBS’ foreign aid training, Martin has finished several training programs, including the 2018 Seminar on Trade and Investment for Latin American and Caribbean Countries (Spanish), the 2021 Seminar on Currency and Banking Management for Latin American, Caribbean and South Pacific, and the 2021 Seminar on Trade Promotion and Trade Remedy for Latin American Countries. Martin expressed his commitment to bridging friendly connection and communication up between China and Uruguay, continuing to facilitate comprehensive and pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and stiving for further achievements.
Written by: Liu Liu
Photos by: Liu Liu
Reviewed by: Chen Wei
