[By Guancha Observer Network, Zhang Jingjuan] After witnessing Colombia strengthen its ties with China, the United States is once again plotting to cause trouble for China.

According to a Bloomberg report on the 15th, the United States plans to obstruct loan institutions from providing loans to Chinese state-owned enterprises operating in Colombia.

In a statement, the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs wrote that the United States will strongly oppose the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and other international financial institutions from providing project loans to state-owned enterprises of China in Colombia (and other "Belt and Road" countries in the region).

The department claimed that these projects "threaten regional security," and international organizations should not subsidize Chinese companies in the Western Hemisphere in any form using taxpayer funds from the United States.

Previously (in 2019), as part of a consortium with China Harbour Engineering Company, Xi'an Metro successfully won the bid for Bogota Metro Line One project. This is Bogota, the capital of Colombia, first rail transit project, also the first urban rail transit construction and operation project in the Americas region participated by Chinese enterprises, and it is expected to be officially put into operation in 2028.

The report stated that the IDB, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development of the World Bank, and the European Investment Bank are providing funding for this project. Although the contract for Bogota Metro Line Two has yet to be finally signed, the Latin American Development Bank (CAF) has already committed to providing partial financial support.

Enrique Penalosa, who served as Mayor of Bogota from 2016 to 2019 and was responsible for signing the metro contracts, said that there is no legal basis to terminate the funding for the Line One project. However, he indicated that if Chinese enterprises win the bid for Line Two, the United States may block financing.

It was reported that the IDB, the Latin American Development Bank, and the press office of the Colombian Ministry of Finance have not yet responded to written requests for comment.

Screenshot of the post on the social platform "X" by the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the U.S. Department of State

The report pointed out that this move by the United States was made after President Gustavo Petro of Colombia visited China this week and promised to seek closer ties with Asian economies.

On Monday (the 12th), Petro arrived in Beijing to start his visit to China. On the 13th, Petro attended the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China-Latin America and Caribbean Community Forum. On the 14th, China and Colombia signed a cooperation plan for jointly building the "Belt and Road" initiative and announced the signing of economic development area exchange and cooperation documents.

Petro praised in his post on X, saying that the signing of this cooperation plan marks a change in the history of our diplomatic relations.

He wrote, "From now on, Colombia will interact with the world on an equal and free basis."

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Colombia 45 years ago, bilateral trade exchanges have achieved remarkable results. The latest data released by the General Administration of Customs on the 14th showed that Colombia is China's fifth largest trading partner in Latin America, and China has maintained its position as Colombia's second largest trading partner for many years. In 2024, the scale of Sino-Colombian trade reached 149.63 billion yuan, growing by 13.1%, exceeding 120 billion yuan for four consecutive years.

In recent years, Sino-Colombian bilateral relations have been upgraded in quality, and economic and trade exchanges have become increasingly close. In the first four months of this year, China's imports and exports with Colombia amounted to 48.34 billion yuan, increasing by 8.5%, setting a record high for the same period in history.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7504893415864287798/

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