Top political advisor meets Colombian president

China's top political advisor Wang Huning met with visiting Colombian President Gustavo Petro in Beijing on Wednesday.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), noted that President Xi Jinping had held a fruitful meeting with Petro earlier that day, and the two leaders witnessed the signing of several important cooperation documents, including Colombia's formal accession to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Noting that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationship between China and Colombia, Wang said that China is ready to work with Colombia to fully implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and to deepen the strategic partnership in a way that delivers benefits to people of both countries.

He expressed the CPPCC's willingness to contribute to that effort.

Petro said the world today is marked by growing instability, and all countries should join hands to safeguard peace and promote shared development for humanity.

He said Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and China share a natural affinity and should therefore stand together in solidarity.

Colombia is ready to enhance cooperation with China across various sectors and to push forward Colombia-China and broader LAC-China relations, Petro said.

On Tuesday morning, Petro delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum. 　 Petro arrived in Beijing on Monday.

China will transport a Long March-8A carrier rocket to the launch pad at the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in southern China on Saturday for an upcoming mission.

The rocket, developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), is scheduled to be launched at an appropriate time in the near future.

The Long March-8A carrier rocket represents a significant upgrade to the Long March-8 series. It successfully conducted its maiden flight on Feb 11, 2025.

The rocket, 50.5 meters long with a takeoff weight of 371 tonnes, is capable of carrying up to 7 tonnes to a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 km.

It is designed specifically for high-density, rapid constellation deployment, serving as a core vehicle for China's satellite internet constellation construction.