Colombian diplomat Jorge Rojas addresses his audience. Photo: archive.
Colombia will join China’s Belt and Road initiative to strengthen the political and commercial ties that already unite both nations, as revealed in Bogotá by Colombia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Rojas.
On the occasion of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), held at the residence of the PRC’s Ambassador to Colombia Zhu Jingyang in Bogotá, Colombia, it was also announced that Colombia’s Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo will visit the PRC during October.
The relationship between both states is already defined as a “Strategic Association,” as agreed by Presidents Xi Jinping and Gustavo Petro when the latter was in Beijing exactly one year ago.
For his part, the head of the Chinese diplomatic legation in the capital made a presentation in which he outlined the achievements of his country in recent decades. Currently, said Ambassador Zhu Jingyang, the PRC is the second-largest economy worldwide, and it is consolidating itself as a technological power in the manufacture of electric cars. Today, it is the world leader in exports of electric cars and of space robotics, with an unmanned mission that aims to bring samples from the dark side of the Moon.
He also praised the increase in commercial ties with Colombia and highlighted the potential that still exists in that area. According to him, the PRC’s trade with the South American nation currently exceeds US $8 billion, while Colombia has sold products worth US $2.9 billion to China.
Zhu Jingyang also mentioned that next year, both states will celebrate 45 years of their relations and the first decade of association between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, launched in 2013, includes numerous physical development and financial investment projects ranging from the construction of railways to satellite networks in order to boost trade and connectivity with countries all around the world. To date, over 150 nations have agreed to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/KW/SL
