Established in 1991, Mercosur has four full members -- Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Paraguay was not allowed to attend the Mendoza summit after its membership was suspended due to the impeachment of Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo.
Chinese Ambassador to Argentina Yin Hengmin took part in the summit on behalf of the Chinese government, marking the first time that China was invited to attend a Mercosur summit.
Yin said China's attendance in the meeting and the release of the Sino-Mercosur joint statement demonstrated a new development stage of ties between the two sides and served as a milestone in China-Latin America relations.