Colombia to join China's Belt and Road Initiative
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The Colombian president's announcement was made during his participation in the China-CELAC Forum.
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Colombian President Gustavo Petro is greeted by Chinese officials in Beijing, May 12, 2025. (Agencies)
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Monday that Colombia will officially join China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), marking a significant milestone in the Andean nation's foreign policy and economic development strategy.
The BRI, launched by China in 2013, is a global infrastructure and investment program designed to enhance trade and connectivity across Asia, Africa, Europe, and increasingly, Latin America. By joining the initiative, Colombia aims to attract Chinese investment in large-scale infrastructure projects, including transportation, energy, and digital development.
Petro's announcement was made during his participation in the China-CELAC Forum, where leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean gathered to explore avenues for deeper cooperation with Beijing. With this move, Colombia joins a growing number of regional nations, such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru, that have embraced the BRI framework to advance their domestic development agendas.
The timing of the announcement coincides with a recent 90-day agreement between China and the United States to significantly reduce tariffs on each other's goods, a temporary truce in their protracted trade war. The deal, reached after marathon negotiations in Geneva, aims to de-escalate economic tensions, stabilize global markets, and reopen channels for bilateral dialogue.
Read more: US, China reach tariff reduction trade deal to ease tensions, effects
Amid criticism over his visit to Beijing, President Petro addressed detractors on social media. "There are those who want to demonize my trip to China, because they think Colombia should only look one way," he wrote on X.
He added, "The United States has shown that it can engage with the world. I congratulate them on their agreement with China. That's why Colombia must also engage with the world, and therefore, with China."
Hay quienes quieren satanizar mi viaje a China, porque piensan que Colombia debe mirar a un solo lado.
, Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) May 12, 2025
EEUU demuestra que si puede relacionarse con el mundo, los felicito por su acuerdo con China; y por eso Colombia debe, tambien, relacionarse con el mundo, y por tanto, con… https://t.co/Xm9b9gLpQO
