Colombia to join China's Belt and Road Initiative to strengthen bilateral ties

Colombia is set to become part of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in an effort to strengthen the political and trade relations that already link the two nations, Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister Jorge Rojas announced. This is reported by Prensa Latina, a partner of TV BRICS.

During an event at the residence of Zhu Jingyang, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Colombia, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Colombian Deputy Minister also announced that Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo will be visiting China later this month.

Rojas emphasised that the relationship between Colombia and China is already defined as a strategic partnership, as agreed by Presidents Xi Jinping and Gustavo Petro during Petro's visit to Beijing one year ago.

In his turn, Ambassador Zhu Jingyang acknowledged the growing trade relations between China and Colombia, emphasising that there remains substantial potential for further growth in this area. He noted that trade between China and Colombia now exceeds US$8 billion, while Colombian exports to China total US$2.9 billion.

The ambassador further mentioned that next year will mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations, as well as the 10th anniversary of the partnership between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

The Belt and Road Initiative, unveiled by China in 2013, involves numerous infrastructure development and financial investment projects, ranging from the construction of railways to satellite networks, all designed to boost trade and connectivity with countries from virtually every region of the world.

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