On December 13, 2018, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo of Colombia held the ninth political consultation between the two Foreign Ministries in Beijing.

Wang Yi expressed that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Colombia, bilateral relations have maintained constant development, and benefited the two peoples. Since the new government of Colombian came to power, it has shown strategic vision and a strong will to further develop relations with China. Both sides should always stick to the general direction of the development of bilateral relations, jointly expand and intensify practical cooperation, attach importance to enhancing coordination on multilateral affairs and break a new ground for bilateral relations. The Chinese side is willing to continuously follow the principle of mutual respect and win-win cooperation, intensify high-level exchanges with the Colombian side, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, consolidate strategic mutual trust, enrich people-to-people and cultural exchanges, strengthen coordination and cooperation in multilateral affairs such as the United Nations and safeguard multilateral trading system, so as to better safeguard the common interests and development interests of developing countries.

Carlos Holmes Trujillo stated, China is a great country. After taking office this August, President Iván Duque Márquez has placed developing Colombia’s relations with China in a prior position of Colombia’s diplomacy. As a Cabinet member of the new Colombian government, I chose China as the destination of my first visit to Asia, which definitely shows the great importance the new Colombian government has attached to developing its relations with China. The Colombian side remains committed to strengthening high-level exchanges with the Chinese side, enhancing mutual understanding as well as advancing exchanges and cooperation in such areas as trade, investment, agriculture, judiciary, culture, education, and anti-corruption. The Colombian side firmly adheres to the One-China principle, which completely complies with the fundamental interests of Colombia and its people.

Wang Yi noted that China and Latin American countries are all emerging markets, and we share similar stances and common interests in coping with various global challenges. China attaches great importance to its relations with Latin American countries and is willing to work with the Latin American side to actively build China-Latin America community of shared future. Carlos Holmes Trujillo said that the Colombian side steadfastly supports multilateralism and stands ready to, together with the Chinese side, reinforce multilateral coordination, and safeguard free trade rules and the interests of developing countries. The Colombian side is willing to play a positive role in enriching cooperation in China-Latin America Forum and promote the overall development of Latin America-China relations.