"Colombia and China signed a cooperation plan for the Belt and Road Initiative today," the ministry wrote on X, calling it a "historic step that opens up new opportunities for investment, technological cooperation, and sustainable development for both countries".

The agreement came on the sidelines of a gathering of Latin American leaders in Beijing during which Xi also pledged $9.2 billion in credit towards "development".

Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted that the deal marked a shift in the Latin American country's foreign relations.

"The history of our foreign relations is changing," he wrote on X.

"From now on, Colombia will interact with the entire world on a footing of equality and freedom."

Two-thirds of Latin American countries have already signed up to Beijing's trillion-dollar BRI infrastructure programme, and China has surpassed the United States as the biggest trading partner of Brazil, Peru and Chile, among others.

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