South American leader defies Trump's ‘Donroe Doctrine’ in bold China pivot toward Xi

Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi stood alongside Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People Tuesday, becoming the first South American leader to openly defy the Trump administration’s "Donroe Doctrine" by signing a flurry of strategic trade deals with the Chinese Communist Party. 

Xi told Orsi that China and Uruguay should work together toward an "equal and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive, universally beneficial economic globalisation," according to pool media reports. 

Xi said China supported Latin American and Caribbean nations in upholding their sovereignty and development interests and would help defuse international volatility and "escalating unilateral bullying."

Orsi said China and Uruguay’s relationship was going through its "best moment" and said both nations should "commit to raising it to a new level."

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Orsi and his delegation of 150, including Uruguayan business leaders, will be in Beijing and Shanghai through Saturday. 

The meeting serves as a direct litmus test for the "Donroe Doctrine" — the Trump administration’s 2025 update to the Monroe Doctrine that asserts absolute U.S. "deterrence and dominance" over the Western Hemisphere.

Trump signaled his willingness to follow through on the doctrine with strikes on Caracas, Venezuela, and a mission to capture Nicolás Maduro.

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Trump declared "American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again" after the Jan. 3 operation. 

The Trump corollary to the White House’s National Security Strategy specifically lists "ownership of key assets" by foreign adversaries as a violation of U.S. interests. 

Orsi signing 12 deals may pose a direct "ownership" challenge. The deals outline cooperation in areas ranging from science and technology to the environment, intellectual property and the meat trade.

China was the top destination for Uruguayan exports in 2025. 

The meeting comes amid a slew of visits by Western leaders to China since the start of 2026: in late January Britain’s Keir Starmer was in Beijing promising to strengthen trade cooperation. The week before that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney inked a major trade deal with Xi.

China "is willing to work with Uruguay and other regional countries to deepen and solidify the building of a China-Latin America community with a shared future," Xi said.

Asked to comment on the meeting, White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said: "President Trump has undoubtedly restored American strength in the Western Hemisphere, showing the entire world that the days of Biden-era weakness are over. He has effectively stopped our backyard from becoming a refuge for drug traffickers, Iran proxies, and criminals that endanger our national security. He will continue to deliver on that mission, making America – and the world – safer and more secure."