[China and Colombia]
The friendly and cooperative relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Colombia grew steadily in 2013.
The two sides maintained exchanges at all levels. In August, President Xi Jinping sent a message of birthday greetings to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. In January, Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Kunsheng visited Colombia and co-chaired with acting Foreign Minister Mónica Lanzetta Mutis the seventh foreign-ministry consultation. In June, Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang met with Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister Lanzetta during the Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation. In April, Colombian Foreign Ministry issued a statement, expressing condolences to the Chinese government for over one hundred deaths caused by the earthquake in Lushan, Sichuan and extending sympathy and support to the bereaved families and people affected by the earthquake.
Bilateral business cooperation continued to deepen. China is Colombia's second largest trading partner and second largest source of import. In June, Sun Dawei, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, visited Colombia. He held talks and meetings respectively with Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Francisco Estupi?án, General Director of the Colombia Agriculture Institute Teresita Beltrán Ospina and Blanca Elvira Cajigas de Acosta, General Director of the Colombia National Institute of Food and Drug Surveillance. China and Colombia signed the Memorandum of Understanding Between the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Agriculture Institute and the National Institute of Food and Drug Surveillance of the Republic of Colombia on Lifting the Foot and Mouth Disease Ban on Colombia and the Protocol Between the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Agriculture Institute and the National Institute of Food and Drug Surveillance of the Republic of Colombia on the Quarantine and Veterinary Sanitary Conditions of Frozen Beef to be Exported from Colombia to China.
Military, cultural and people-to-people exchanges and those between political parties are increasingly dynamic. A number of Chinese leaders visited Colombia, including Major General He Jiangbo, Political Commissar of the Training Department of the PLA Headquarters of General Staff, Vice President of the CPC Party School Li Jingtian and Director of National Office for Teaching Chinese Xu Lin.
Editor:Yaling
