Bogota, November 5th (Xinhua) — Colombia’s “Journey to Bogota” Reflects the Vigorous Vitality of China Latin America Cooperation
The 8th China International Import Expo opened on the 5th in Shanghai, China. As the only guest country in Latin America, Colombia has more than 20 companies participating in the national pavilion for centralized exhibitions. The Colombia China Chamber of Commerce for Investment and Trade will also jointly organize multiple supporting activities with Chinese companies, becoming a major highlight of this year’s CIIE. As the world’s first national level expo with import as its theme, the CIIE has witnessed China’s unwavering pace of expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world, and has also brought new development opportunities to Latin American countries including Colombia.
This is not Colombia’s first time participating in the CIIE, but this year this Latin American country’s expectations for the CIIE are clearly no longer just about showcasing and selling goods. Nicolas Mexia, Deputy Director of the Colombian Trade, Investment and Tourism Agency, said that Colombia will break the mindset of “only selling coffee” and showcase its potential as a partner in all aspects – it is not only an ideal investment destination, a partner for technological innovation, but also an important source of more diversified products such as avocados, cosmetics, cocoa products, and a provider of unique cultural tourism experiences.
Behind this beautiful vision is the strong support of China Colombia economic and trade cooperation. China has been Colombia’s second largest trading partner for several consecutive years, while Colombia is China’s fifth largest trading partner in Latin America. In 2024, the trade scale between China and Colombia reached 149.63 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 13.1%. This growth momentum reflects the strong momentum and enormous potential of economic and trade exchanges between the two sides. Meixia believes that the huge scale of the Chinese market and the demand for consumer upgrading provide unprecedented opportunities for the economic development of Colombia.
Turning the clock back to May of this year, a grander collaborative picture unfolded in Beijing. During Colombian President Pedro’s visit to China to attend the fourth ministerial meeting of the China Latin America Forum, the two sides signed important cooperation documents such as Colombia’s accession to the “the Belt and Road” initiative. The Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called it a “historic step that opens up new opportunities for investment, technological cooperation, and sustainable development between the two countries.
The initiative of jointly building the “the Belt and Road” is highly consistent with Colombia’s goal of re industrialization, infrastructure modernization and energy transformation. In June of this year, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Western Colombia tram project, which was constructed by a Chinese enterprise. This project will become the first tram line connecting the Colombian capital Bogota with surrounding satellite cities. Pedro stated that the significance of launching this project goes far beyond transportation itself, and is a key measure for Colombia to address the climate crisis, achieve sustainable urban development, and improve the quality of life for its people.
As a country with significant influence in Latin America, Colombia’s cooperation with China has far exceeded the bilateral scope. The fourth ministerial meeting of the China Latin America Forum held in May this year formulated the “Joint Action Plan for Key Areas of Cooperation between China and Latin America Community Member States (2025-2027)”, which provides a clear roadmap for China Latin America cooperation in the next three years. As the rotating chair of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, Colombia made significant contributions to the successful hosting of the conference.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Colombia, as well as the 10th anniversary of the official operation of the China Latin America Forum. The upgrading of China Colombia cooperation not only deepens and solidifies the strategic partnership between China and Colombia, but also reflects a new pattern of China Latin America cooperation moving towards higher quality development.
Those who are united in their aspirations do not consider mountains and seas as distant. The two countries of China and Colombia, working hand in hand, are becoming an important driving force for China Latin America cooperation, constantly injecting new impetus into the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.