On the morning of May 14, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Petro was visiting China to attend the 4th Ministerial Meeting of the China–Latin America Forum. President Xi described Colombia’s high-quality participation in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a valuable opportunity to enhance and upgrade bilateral cooperation. He stated that China is ready to import more high-quality products from Colombia, support Chinese companies investing in the country, and participate in infrastructure projects. Following the meeting, in the presence of both leaders, the two sides signed a Belt and Road cooperation plan along with several documents related to economic development.
President Xi emphasized Colombia’s strategic importance in Latin America and noted that the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries marks a new starting point. He also highlighted the need to deepen cooperation in emerging sectors such as wind energy, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, and the digital economy. President Petro, for his part, stated that Colombia has a long-standing friendship with China and expressed his belief that cooperation in infrastructure, trade, AI, and new energy would help improve people’s livelihoods. He also expressed Colombia’s readiness to work with China to uphold international justice and defend the interests of developing countries.