Rescue operations continue in western Colombia following a 7.5-magnitude earthquake on Monday that has killed at least 281 people, injured more than 3,900 and left nearly 400 missing.
Many Colombians have mobilized to help, bringing water, food and supplies to affected communities.
A CGTN stringer spoke with residents and volunteers in Cali on Tuesday.
Volunteer Daline Lopez said that she came out to help because people are a community and must always support each other.
"Because we are a community, and we always support each other. It's not just the three of us from my family. Many more people have come out to help. So this is a clear example that people are a community," said Lopez.
"Despite everything that has recently happened in the country, especially in Cali, and despite all the political differences between people, this is something that unites us all as Colombians, especially as people of Cali. The initiative is about helping people that are going through these difficult times. My family came through this tragedy safely, but it does not mean that everyone is okay," said Joan Esteban Solis Cuadros, another volunteer.
The powerful quake has affected 44,936 families and 102,105 people in 15 departments and 426 municipalities, the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management of Colombia said on Thursday.
Daniela Gutierrez, undersecretary of risk management, said the Miguel Calero Hockey Coliseum has become a focal point of relief efforts.
"Well, we meet here at the Miguel Calero Hockey Coliseum, where we're collecting food, mats and other supplies, everything that people have brought to support us. People have been very supportive. They have been accompanying us and bringing food and supplies to this space since yesterday," said Gutierrez.
Colombians mobilize to join rescue efforts after deadly earthquake
Chinese and European representatives called for closer cooperation on trade, investment, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence at a round-table meeting in Hangzhou, eastern China's Zhejiang Province, on Monday, highlighting areas of shared economic interest despite strains in broader China-EU relations.
Thirty-seven representatives attended the 21st China-EU Round Table, co-hosted by the China Economic and Social Council and the European Economic and Social Committee, advisory bodies representing business, labor and other social groups.
The discussions covered poverty reduction, trade and investment, and artificial intelligence. Participants said cooperation between China and the European Union, two of the world's largest economies, remained important for trade and global growth.
Paul Rubig, a member of the Employers' Group at the European Economic and Social Committee, said stronger two-way investment could support trade and boost consumers' purchasing power.
"I think it's very good to see that the investment on both sides should be developed in a more professional way. So it's very interesting for China companies to invest into Europe and vice versa, because that would align a good trading policy. And if it's in products or in services, for the consumers it's important to gain buying power. And you gain buying power in export and import," said Rubig.
Electric vehicles were another focus of the talks, as Chinese new-energy vehicles gain a growing presence in Europe despite tariffs. Delegates said sharing experience could help make advanced electric-mobility technologies more widely available.
Ioannis Paidas, president of the International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions, said China had established a substantial lead in electric-vehicle technology.
"It is true that China has indeed pulled far ahead when it comes to electric vehicle technology. Even in Europe right now, millions of vehicles featuring Chinese electric technology with top performance are on the roads. In my own country, Greece, 60 percent of the electric buses that have been brought in for Athens and Thessaloniki are Chinese-made electric buses. It must be said here that because Europe has a great many automotive industries, China ought to share its latest developments in electric vehicle technology with Europe, so that Europe too can acquire cutting-edge technology for electric mobility," said Paidas.
Trade links between China and Europe have also continued to expand. The China-Europe Railway Express operated 12,988 services from January through July in 2026, up 17.6 percent from a year earlier, according to China State Railway Group.
Participants said the discussions showed continued scope for practical cooperation in trade, investment and emerging technologies.
Chinese, EU representatives call for closer trade, investment ties
