China asked Colombia a few weeks ago what topics it wanted to discuss at the October 25 meeting between Gustavo Petro and Xi Jinping. Colombian diplomats assured the Chinese that the most important issue was the possibility of burying Bogota’s first subway line, a key issue on Petro’s agenda. This work is being carried out by a consortium of China Harbor Engineering Company and Xi’an Rail Transit Group. The Chinese responded that it was not a state issue but rather an agreement between a local government and some Chinese companies, according to sources familiar with the talks between the two states. Therefore, Xi has no intention of addressing this issue. The Colombian Foreign Ministry insisted that the future of the subway was on the table, but Asians assured for the second time that this was not an issue of interest to the Chinese president.
The refusal to discuss the issue has not deterred Petro, who publicly reiterated on Thursday when announcing his state visit that this was his main interest: “We will see what the Chinese head of state says on these issues when you.” can help us advance the transition of Colombia’s transportation to rail and electric.” The Bogotá mayor’s office has approved the construction of an elevated rail line and is 25% complete, but the Colombian president insists that at least one section like others capitals of the world must be moved underground. His position puts him in direct conflict with the city’s mayor, Claudia López, who wants to continue with the original plan. López argues that the president’s plan is economically and legally unsustainable.
Petro will shake hands with someone already considered a historic leader. Xi, 69, is the most powerful leader since the time of Mao Zedong. In March, he was re-elected to a third five-year term as president of the People’s Republic by the unanimous vote of nearly 3,000 delegates to the National People’s Congress, China’s Communist Party-controlled legislature. The Chinese president has absolute power over all state apparatuses and is general secretary of the party. His ideas are studied in schools and universities across the country. The country is currently facing the challenge of restarting its economy after the pandemic in an environment of increasing confrontation with the United States.
In various interventions, Xi has warned of the turbulent global scenario and – in a statement he is highly unlikely to make – denounced Washington’s bullying. Western countries are carrying out total suppression of China, he explained, which poses “unprecedented challenges to our development.” According to EL PAÍS, a delegation of American congressmen led by Democrat Bob Menéndez Petro warned of the dangers of falling into the hands of the Chinese government. “In the end, grabbing Beijing’s money pays off,” they told the president. Petro responded that one way to prevent China’s rise was to double down on cooperation with Washington. Specifically, he said it was necessary to convince President Joe Biden to finance the state’s purchase of land from ranchers to give it to farmers.
President Gustavo Petro attends the “Government with the People” meeting in the city of Kennedy, Bogota, September 28, 2023. Nathalia Angarita
However, China-Colombia relations have not stopped growing. Between 2021 and 2022, investments tripled. In addition to the subway agreement, Chinese capital is building the RegioTram, a train that connects Bogotá with several neighboring cities; and the Zijin Mining company purchased the Buriticá gold mine in Antioquia from Canadian Continental Gold. China is also interested in investing in the next 5G telecommunications tender, in addition to several rail and road projects that will be tendered later this year or are in the government’s planning phase.
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In any case, not everything goes smoothly. Gustavo Petro’s government is unwilling to deepen its ties with China from an economic, political or geostrategic perspective, according to a report by consulting firm Colombia Risk Analysis that looks at local perceptions of Chinese investments in the country. The study finds that there is a lack of knowledge and understanding about China and its way of doing business among Colombian officials, the business community and the general public.
As for the subway, the mayor’s office and the government have set up a working group to look for alternatives, but at the moment none has been found that satisfies all parties. The local government proposed keeping Line 1 as planned and burying the next line, Line 2. “We do not agree with the work being paralyzed in order to bring it underground.” We don’t see the reason. It is stipulated in the contract and must be implemented,” they comment from the mayor’s office. To counter these arguments, Petro commissioned an express study with the Colombian engineering company to determine whether it is possible to bury the line. The Attorney General’s Office considers that the President committed a disciplinary offense when he single-handedly approved this contract to analyze a problem that may not be feasible. “This administration will continue to build. It’s up to whoever defends him or listens to the government,” the same sources add.
Petro has the opportunity to put someone from his party, the narconovelas librettist Gustavo Bolívar, in charge of the city. The former senator is also running for mayor on October 29, although he doesn’t know the numbers for now. The New Liberalism candidate, Carlos Fernando Galán, is leading in all polls. The meeting between Xi and Petro will take place four days before Bogota residents go to the polls. The subway issue will be up in the air, although some people want to ignore it and others want to deal with it at all costs. Presidents must then practice the art of rhetoric and diplomacy.
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