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China invites Colombia to join the Belt and Road Initiative and “explore” a free trade agreement.

China invites Colombia to join the Belt and Road Initiative and “explore” a free trade agreement.

China invited Colombia to join in Belt and Road Initiative and is “exploring the possibility of a free trade agreement” with the South American country, Beijing’s ambassador to Bogota told local media.

Zhu Jingyang’s remarks on the global China-focused investment and infrastructure program came during a news conference on Tuesday to address issues raised during Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo’s visit to Beijing last week.

The Chinese envoy said the invitation to Colombia to participate in the Belt and Road plan was extended “about eight or nine months ago, in January.”

“We have already forwarded a draft of the Chinese proposal to their ministries and basically no one has objected,” Zhu added.

Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo speaks during his four-day visit to China last week. Photo: EPA-EFE
Last week, Murillo met with the Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and vice president Han Zheng. And in a video about the Colombian Foreign Ministry YouTube Murillo confirmed that both sides had agreed to set up a working group to discuss the matter.