Colombia seeks to deepen ties

A joint working group has been established to discuss details of Colombia's accession to the Belt and Road Initiative as China and the Latin American country work to add substance to their one-year-old strategic partnership.

Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, who is currently visiting China, described the progress as the most important outcome of his four-day visit starting from Wednesday, with the purpose to strengthen and deepen Colombia's ties with China.

According to Murillo, several ministries from both countries related to foreign affairs, commerce, industry, tourism, finance and others, will be involved in this joint working group.

"There are some details that we need to discuss to get into an agreement. If we overcome that, we will be ready to move into the next phase, which is the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding. That will take a couple of months," he said in Beijing on Thursday.

Murillo said his country is aware of the importance of promoting relations with China and believes that efforts to enrich the strategic partnership established during Colombian President Francisco Petro Urrego's state visit to China last October "will allow both parties to benefit from it."

When meeting with Murillo in Beijing on Thursday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the establishment of a strategic partnership between China and Colombia has led bilateral relations into a new stage of development, with mutually beneficial cooperation being steadily advanced.

China is willing to strengthen strategic alignment with Colombia and welcomes the country to join the Belt and Road Initiative at an early date, Wang said.

China will work with Colombia to strengthen trade and economic cooperation and expand partnerships in areas such as infrastructure, clean energy and artificial intelligence to assist the Latin American country's green and sustainable development, he added.

The Colombian foreign minister said that as his country seeks to fund its $40 billion plan to transition away from fossil fuels and protect the environment, Colombia's accession to the Belt and Road Initiative will be significant for building a portfolio of projects that will allow for investment benefiting both Colombia and China. "We hope this collaboration will start as soon as possible," Murillo said.

The Belt and Road cooperation will have a positive impact on a wide range of areas, including infrastructure, transportation, digital development and climate response, he said.

Trading partner

China is Colombia's second-largest trading partner, and Colombia is China's fifth-largest trading partner in Latin America. According to Chinese customs statistics, the bilateral trade in goods amounted to $18.79 billion in 2023.

In recent years, China has become one of Colombia's most important investors with Chinese investments in the South American country continuing to grow. Chinese companies are building the first subway in the capital city Bogota.

Murillo said the Colombian side also proposed the need to improve the structure of dialogue between the two nations by creating a permanent high-level group led by the foreign ministers of both nations "where we can meet and track progress on commitments and tasks agreed upon in the framework of strategic projects".

He dismissed the reported concerns from the United States regarding Colombia's extensive relations with China, saying that his country is implementing an independent foreign policy. "We are making and deepening relationships with countries that really are willing to have an equal relation that is beneficial for both countries. This is the case of our bilateral relationship with China."