[By Guancha Observer Network, Liu Chenghui] Just after Colombia joined the Belt and Road Initiative, the U.S. extended its hand to try to sabotage the financing of Chinese enterprises' projects in Colombia. Bloomberg reported on May 16 that Colombian President Petro was "unconcerned" about this, and the Colombian government also plans to join the development bank supported by China.

Petro forwarded a statement issued by the Bogota city government on the X platform that same day. The statement mentioned that in response to the U.S. government's announcement of opposition to providing funding for any Chinese enterprises operating in Colombia, the Bogota city government and metro company emphasized that the capital project has received full support from multilateral banks.

In his comment when forwarding the statement, Petro said, "It is reasonable for U.S.-funded banks not to fund projects they view as competitors." He added that his government will respect this principle.

At the same time, he emphasized, "The U.S. government should strive to ensure that American companies participate in our government's upcoming bidding projects, and my responsibility is to ensure transparency."

Bloomberg described Petro's apparent "indifference" to U.S. obstruction, suggesting that such remarks might help alleviate the tense relationship between Colombia and the U.S. caused by strengthening ties with China.

Petro responded to U.S. pressure on the X platform.

On May 12, Petro arrived in Beijing for a visit. On the 13th, Petro attended the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Forum.

On the 14th, China and Colombia signed a cooperation plan for the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and announced the signing of economic development sector exchange and cooperation documents.

Petro posted on the X platform 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."

Just as China and Colombia announced their cooperation, the Americans "smelled the scent and came." The U.S. Department of State Western Hemisphere Affairs Bureau stated in a declaration on May 15 that the United States would strongly oppose the American Development Bank (IDB) and other international financial institutions providing project loans for Chinese state-owned enterprises 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 U.S. taxpayer funds.

In 2019, the Xi'an Metro and China Harbour Engineering Company successfully won the bid for the first phase of the Bogota Metro project. This is Bogota's first rail transit project, and also the first urban rail transit construction and operation project in the Americas that中国企业 are involved in. It is expected to be officially put into operation in 2028.

Reports said that the American Development Bank, the World Bank International Reconstruction and Development Bank, and the European Investment Bank are providing funding for this project. Although the contract for the second phase of the Bogota Metro project has not yet been finalized, the Latin American Development Bank (CAF) has already committed to providing partial funding support.

Bloomberg cited analysts as saying that the U.S. State Department's move aims to punish Colombia for signing the Belt and Road Initiative, but they also agree with Petro's call for the Trump administration to provide an alternative solution from the U.S. side.

James Bosworth, founder of political risk analysis company Hxagon, said, "Trump and his team gave no hint of incentives that could have helped the Petro government build the Bogota Metro and other infrastructure projects without Chinese contracting companies."

On May 13, Beijing, the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the China-Latin America and Caribbean Community (CELAC) Forum was held, with Petro attending the opening ceremony. Visual China

In the 45 years since China and Colombia established diplomatic relations, trade exchanges between both sides have yielded 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 consecutive 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, 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 new historical record for the same period.

During his visit to China, Petro attended the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the China-Latin America and Caribbean Community (CELAC) Forum and was interviewed for the "High-Level Interview".

Petro said that in the past decade, the level of physical goods trade between China and Latin America has made progress. China participated in the construction of the Bogota Metro project, built a port in Peru, and many other large-scale feasibility projects are being constructed using Chinese investment and engineering technology.

Regarding the U.S. always treating Latin America as its own "backyard" for economic control or political hegemony, Petro pointed out, as I said, the era of being an "edge country" following the U.S. has become history, and Colombia must look around.

"We are not ignoring the U.S., but we must also look southward across the American continent and open our eyes to the east and west. This means that Colombia is opening up to the world," he said.

This article is an exclusive contribution from the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7505262433825538560/

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