Guerrilla, sportsman, prisoner and president, these words seem unrelated, but they can all be used to describe Jose Alberto Mujica.

The 77-year old Uruguayan president and former guerrilla leader has had a special affection for China since he met Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing in 1962.

The meeting took place in Mao's study in Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the central government and the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Mujica recalled that it was the same place Mao met then US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger a decade later.

"Mao showed great confidence and respect toward national liberation movements in Latin America, and he believed that we would eventually win," Mujica was quoted as saying by Changjiang Daily.

"Mao's words were sincere and earnest. I will never forget that," he said.

Mujica said he began to read the works of Mao and Confucius after his China visit in a bid to understand China and its culture.

He added that China, with its rapid economic growth, has become the focus of global attention.

After 14 years in prison, Mujica was released in 1985, and returned to political life.

He won the Uruguayan presidency in 2009, and took office in the following year.

Mujica attaches great importance to Sino-Uruguayan ties because he knows China is very important for Uruguay's development, analysts said.

"Mujica is a practical politician. He advocates building good relations with every major country in the world," said Chen Yuanting, an expert on Latin American studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Like many other Latin American leaders, Mujica comes from the grassroots and is very popular, Chen said.