China ready to deepen ties with Colombia

Chinese President Xi Jinping has extended congratulations to Abelardo de la Espriella on his election as Colombian president, expressing willingness to deepen bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various areas.

In his congratulatory message sent on Monday, Xi noted that China and the South American nation are strategic partners.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 46 years ago, China-Colombia relations have withstood the test of the changing international landscape and maintained a sound momentum of development, he said.

Political mutual trust between the two countries has continued to deepen, the friendship between the two peoples is deeply rooted in their hearts, and high-quality Belt and Road cooperation has continued to achieve new progress, he added.

Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of bilateral ties and stands ready to work with De la Espriella to advance the China-Colombia strategic partnership to a new level, so as to deliver greater benefits to the two countries and their peoples.

Also on Monday, Vice-President of China Han Zheng extended congratulations to Jose Manuel Restrepo Abondano, vice-president-elect of Colombia.

De la Espriella, 47, led the presidential runoff election on June 21.

Colombia's National Electoral Council on June 24 officially declared the right-wing candidate president-elect for the 2026-30 term.

The new president will take office on Aug 7.

As a nontraditional political figure, he advocates shaping national governance through an iron-fisted approach to security and drastic cuts in public spending, according to Xinhua.

Statistics show that China is Colombia's second-largest trading partner, while the South American nation is China's sixth-largest trading partner in Latin America.

According to data from China Customs, bilateral trade value reached $23.02 billion in 2025, up 9.5 percent year-on-year.

In May last year, the two countries signed a cooperation document on jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative.