Colombia says to strengthen trade ties with China in blow to Trump
3 Min Read
Colombia announced a new shipping route to Shanghai, strengthening trade ties with China, shortly after a row with Trump.
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Colombia's President Gustavo Petro arrives at the opening ceremony of COP16, a United Nations' biodiversity conference, in Cali, Colombia, Oct. 20, 2024 (AP)
Colombia announced plans on Thursday to bolster its trade relations with China by establishing a new shipping route to Shanghai, deepening economic ties with the Asian powerhouse amid ongoing tensions with US President Donald Trump.
According to Colombia’s Ministry of Commerce, the new route will connect the Pacific port of Buenaventura to Shanghai via the Chinese-funded mega-port of Chancay in Peru. Beijing’s ambassador to Bogota, Zhu Jingyang, welcomed the move on X, calling it "good news" for trade between China and Latin America’s fourth-largest economy.
Colombia’s Minister of Commerce, Luis Carlos Reyes, described the initiative as "a great step in strengthening relations" between the two nations.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced reciprocal 25% tariffs on United States imports, in a tit-for-tat move, after refusing to receive Colombian immigrants in military jets.
Petro also slammed the latest sanctions and tariffs imposed on Colombia by US President Donald Trump after the country denied landing two United States military planes carrying immigrants.
In a post on X, Petro affirmed, "We have never refused to receive migrants and have tried to stop migration," adding, "But do not expect me to receive deportees from the US, handcuffed and in military planes."
"We are nobody's colony," declared Petro.
Earlier, Trump announced a 25% tariff on Colombian products, which will double in a week. He also revoked visas for Colombian government officials and "supporters" of President Gustavo Petro and vowed to subject Colombians to greater scrutiny at airports, intensifying his immigration crackdown.
However, Bogota ultimately backed down, arranging its own flights to bring the migrants home.
Despite the thawing of tensions, Petro—Colombia’s first leftist president and a former guerrilla fighter—has continued to criticize Trump. In an interview for Univision, he accused the US president of defending a "fascist thesis" that seeks to criminalize undocumented migrants, comparing it to Adolf Hitler’s persecution of Jews during World War II.
Amid this diplomatic row, Petro urged his commerce ministry to diversify Colombia’s export markets beyond the United States. His efforts to strengthen economic ties with China came when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Central America, aiming to counter Beijing’s growing influence in the region.
