Celebrating bonds of friendship
"Colombia highly values its relations with China and would like to strengthen cooperation with the country in various sectors," Colombia's Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin said in Bogota to mark the 35th anniversary of bilateral relations .
She noted ongoing engagement through the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and the Latin American regional trade bloc called the Pacific Alliance.
In 2014, Sino-Colombian bilateral trade hit $15.5 billion, 700 times the figure 35 years ago.
The two countries have held a series of celebrations to commemorate the anniversary.
On Feb 2, Chinese Ambassador to Colombia Wang Xiaoyuan joined Holguin at the celebration at the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bogota.
Among the more than 150 people in attendance were Colombian Minister of Culture Mariana Garces Cordoba; Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Patti Londono; foreign diplomats and representative of international organizations in Colombia; former Colombian ambassadors to China; officials from the Colombia-China Friendship Association; members of the Colombian Chinese Chamber of Commerce; representatives of Chinese companies, the Confucius Institute and overseas Chinese in Colombia; and diplomats from the Chinese embassy in Colombia. Holguin said in a speech that along with frequent exchanges of high-level visits, the countries' economic and trade cooperation has expanded greatly.
On Feb 3, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries held a banquet in Beijing to celebrate the 35th anniversary of bilateral relations. Wang Chao, vice-minister of foreign affairs, Xie Yuan, vice-chairman of the association, and Colombian Ambassador to China Carmenza Jaramillo all attended. China-Colombia relations will embrace an even brighter future with joint efforts made by the two peoples, Xie said.
China Daily
(China Daily 03/13/2015 page15)
