Colombia joins Belt and Road initiative as China courts Latin America
The Hindu
Colombia joins China's Belt and Road initiative amid U.S.-China tensions in Latin America, reshaping global economic dynamics.
Colombia formally agreed on Wednesday (May 14, 2025) to join China's vast Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, as Beijing draws Latin America closer in a bid to counter the United States.
Latin America has emerged as a key battleground in U.S. President Donald Trump's confrontations with China, and the region is coming under pressure from Washington to choose a side.
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 Chinese leader Xi Jinping's Belt and Road infrastructure drive.
On the sidelines of a major gathering of regional leaders in Beijing on Wednesday, Colombia became the latest country to join the massive global initiative.
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".
And after a meeting with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Mr. Xi urged the countries to take the opportunity of Colombia formally joining the "Belt and Road Initiative family" to enhance their cooperation, Beijing's state media said.
Posting a video of the signing to social media platform X, Mr. Petro wrote that "the history of our foreign relations is changing".
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