Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that China will continue to support Colombia's efforts to advance its peace process and reconstruction after decades of conflict between government forces and rebel groups.
Xi made the remarks when meeting with Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez in Beijing. Duque is on his first state visit to China, which began on Sunday.
Noting that China and Colombia will soon celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Xi called on the two sides to draw a blueprint for their future development and bring China-Colombia ties to new heights.
China and Colombia forged diplomatic ties on February 7, 1980.
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Xi told Duque that China welcomes Colombia to take part in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and called for alignment of the two countries' diplomatic strategies.
Proposed by Xi in 2013, the BRI comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa, along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes.
Duque said Colombia is willing to actively participate in BRI cooperation, stressing that he welcomes Chinese companies to invest in his country.
The Colombian president said he hopes his visit can promote cooperation with China in such fields as trade, energy, infrastructure, the digital economy and creative industries.
He believes each joint project between the two countries will be conducive to Colombia's peace process and helpful to its economic and social development.
The two leaders also exchanged views on the China-Latin America relationship.
Xi said China always respects the Latin American people's rights to choose their own development paths and supports the region's integration process.
He called for properly resolving the Venezuela issue and other regional issues through dialogue and consultation and maintaining peace and stability in the region.
Duque said Colombia is willing to make active efforts to enhance ties between Latin America and China.
Xi and Duque witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation documents after their talks.
China, Colombia safeguard free trade
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also met with visiting Duque on Wednesday.
Calling Colombia an important cooperation partner of China in Latin America, Li said the two countries have witnessed healthy and stable development of bilateral ties since they established diplomatic relations 39 years ago.
The increasingly strengthened pragmatic cooperation has benefited people of both sides, Li said, adding that China will continue to consolidate mutual political trust with Colombia, speed up alignment of development strategies and boost cooperation in various fields, so as to elevate bilateral ties to new heights.
Both China and Colombia are committed to safeguarding free trade, and China, instead of purposely seeking a trade surplus, has always conducted fair, transparent and mutually beneficial cooperation based on market and commercial rules, Li stressed.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with visiting Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, July 31, 2019. /Xinhua Photo
Li promised China stands ready to expand two-way investment with Colombia and will provide a better business environment for enterprises of both sides.
China will import more competitive and high-quality products from Colombia and promote a more balanced trade structure between the two countries, Li added.
The Chinese premier also voiced willingness to support Colombia's economic progress and domestic peace process.
For Duque's part, he hailed his country's smooth relations with China which have produced fruitful cooperation results, and appreciated the great achievements made in the 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
Saying Colombia sticks to the one-China principle, he expressed his expectation that the two sides will facilitate exchanges at all levels and push for better development of bilateral relations.
(With input from Xinhua)
(Cover: Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) holds a welcome ceremony for Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez in Beijing, July 31, 2019. /Xinhua Photo)