Colombia and the Belt and Road Initiative

Colombia’s relations with the BRI have moved from non-engagement under President Juan Manuel Santos to external engagement under President Iván Duque, as business interests in the BRI have emerged overtime. To be sure, that Bogotá’s foreign policy always revolves around Washington may have prevented the country from fully endorsing the BRI, but this alignment falls short of explaining why it has subsequently shifted from non-engagement to external engagement. Therefore, the discussion concerning Colombia consists of a within-case variation. In this chapter, I demonstrate the intense disinterests from Colombian business in the BRI under Santos, which has shaped the non-engagement approach. I also show that under Duque, some sectors, e.g. infrastructure and agriculture, have become interested in the BRI. As Colombia’s foreign policy decision-making process lies in the presidency, the low intensity of business interests gave Duque more leeway to determine state preferences. Coupled with the urgent need for Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic, Duque launched the Colombia-China Initiative to externally engage with the BRI in accommodating the emergence of business interests. This specific approach has helped avoid domestic backlash from other opposing sectors and from its foreign ally, i.e. the US.