https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/1922524990341087471
Gustavo Petro's Colombia this week signed on to China's “new Silk Road” as part of the fourth China-Celac (Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribenos) ministerial meeting, which includes 33 Latin American and Caribbean states, held in Beijing. The decision represents a major shift in the foreign policy of Colombia, which had been a key and reliable U.S. ally in Latin America in recent decades, helping to pull the South American continent away from the U.S. sphere of influence. "The history of our foreign relations is changing. From now on Colombia will interact with the whole world on a plane of equality and freedom," Colombian President Petro, whose administration has come into conflict with the Trump administration, wrote on X. While the White House chief was busy on his trip to the Middle East, then, China was intent on strengthening its trade ties with all of Latin America, announcing a new investment plan worth 9.2 billion. The agreement with Colombia looks precisely in this direction: as Edwin Palma, Colombia's Minister of Mines and Energy, said, "This is not a matter between the two countries, but an important plan involving China and the whole of Latin America. Through specific cooperation, we can overcome the influence exerted by the United States on Colombia."
Palma told the Chinese newspaper Global Times that the agreement will provide Colombia with more opportunities in transportation and connectivity: "It will facilitate the growth of our country's exports to Asia, particularly in areas where Colombia has potential. Above all, this will drive the development of the economy of the future,“ which is ”the knowledge-based economy," he said. In addition, joining the new Silk Road (in English BRI, Belt and Road Initiative) is also expected to contribute to the development of artificial intelligence, data centers and domestic infrastructure. In particular, China could play an important role in the development of the South American nation's railway system, connecting different regions of the country, especially remote areas, according to Colombian Transport Minister Mamria Fernanda. About 40 Chinese companies, including major corporations such as Huawei, BYD and State Grid, attended the event inaugurating business cooperation between China and Colombia in Beijing on Wednesday.
Cooperation between China and Colombia represents a key step in China-Latin America relations and, in general, is a step forward for the development of the so-called Global South. "China and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are important members of the Global South. Independence and autonomy are our glorious tradition. Development and revitalization are our inherent right. And equity and justice are our common pursuit," the Chinese president said during the opening address of the China-Celac Forum. With an implicit, but clear, reference to the United States, Global Times points out that “China and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have demonstrated through pragmatic cooperation that Latin America is no one's ‘backyard’ or a ‘zero-sum battleground’ for great-power rivalry.” More than two-thirds of Latin American countries are already part of the BRI, the huge infrastructure and trade project announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 that will invest hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The goal is to implement global trade according to China's “win-win” logic on an equal footing and from the perspective of multilateralism. Most Western nations, however, view the project only from a competitive perspective in terms of the influence they can exert on developing nations.
Gustavo Petro's Colombia recently drifted out of the U.S. orbit following clashes with the Trump administration that occurred in the first weeks of the new U.S. government: Bogota had refused to land two U.S. planes carrying Colombian migrants deported by the U.S. administration. In retaliation, the U.S. imposed 25 percent tariffs and Petro's government had been forced to send planes to retrieve the Colombian nationals on U.S. soil. Since then, the Bogota government has decided to review its trade relations with Washington and has missed no opportunity to forge closer relations with other international geopolitical players such as Beijing by joining the BRI. Already, trade between China and Colombia has reached 149.63 billion yuan in 2024, an increase of 13.1 percent over the previous year, while in the first four months of 2025 it reached a record 48.34 billion yuan ($6.7 billion). Petro's decision is a clear signal of discontinuity from the foreign policy followed until recently by Colombia and a clear message to the Trump administration about the geostrategic and trade positions that the Colombian government intends to pursue. A situation that benefits Beijing in its plan for trade expansion and political influence over countries in the region.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202505/1334096.shtml
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202505/1333992.shtml
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202505/1334024.shtml
