ISTANBUL/BOGOTA

Colombia on Wednesday signed a cooperation plan for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with China, an official statement said.

The two nations should take Colombia's formal accession to the BRI as an "opportunity to upgrade bilateral cooperation," China's President Xi Jinping said.

“This is a historic step that opens new opportunities for investment, technological cooperation, and sustainable development for both countries,” Colombia’s Foreign Ministry said on X.

The plan to jointly build the "Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road" was signed after a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Colombian President Gustavo Petro in Beijing, Chinese state media reported.

“With the signing of the agreement with China, Colombia strengthens its strategic partnership: market access, promotion of projects such as railway corridors and renewable energies, and more opportunities for national producers. A new chapter in our foreign policy,” the ministry said.

“The signing of this cooperation plan opens a horizon of endless opportunities in trade, investment, and tourism. There is no turning back: Colombia opens itself to the world with determination,” Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia said after signing the plan.

Launched in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative, also referred to as the New Silk Road, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by China to invest in more than 150 countries and international organizations.

Petro is on a trip to China for the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Forum. Bilateral trade between the two nations climbed to $6.7 billion in the first four months of 2025.

The US previously indicated potential actions against Latin American countries that enter trade agreements with China, and Petro's arrival in China had already provoked a strong reaction from Mauricio Claver-Carone, the US State Department's special envoy for Latin America.

Petro said he hoped the deal "allows us to continue being an equal partner because we've already lost 200,000 Colombians trying to prevent cocaine from reaching their territory."

Colombia has historically been one of Washington’s most significant allies in South America, with Colombian businesses relying heavily on the US market for exports such as coffee and cut flowers.

The Colombian Foreign Ministry asserted that the agreement with China is to establish Colombia as a key partner with the Asian nation, without compromising national sovereignty.