China has surpassed the United States as the biggest trading partner of Brazil, Peru, Chile and other Latin American nations, and two-thirds of countries there have signed up to the BRI.
On the sidelines of the China-Celac Forum in Beijing on Wednesday, Colombia became the latest country to join the massive global initiative.
Xi said Colombia’s formal accession to the BRI is an opportunity to upgrade bilateral cooperation between the two countries, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Meanwhile, Colombia’s foreign ministry hailed the agreement as a “historic step that opens up new opportunities for investment, technological cooperation, and sustainable development for both countries”.
The country’s president Gustavo Petro – who took over in August 2022 – made his first trip to China as president in October 2023, upgrading to a strategic partnership two-way ties first established in 1980. (Additional reporting by AFP and Reuters)
