Weifang expands trade, cultural ties in Latin America

In late February, Weifang Mayor Liu Jianjun led a delegation to Colombia and Ecuador to promote trade, sign cooperation agreements, and strengthen sister-city partnerships. The visit aimed to deepen Weifang's engagement with Latin America across agriculture, industry, and cultural exchanges.

In Colombia, the delegation met with former president Ernesto Samper Pizano and other senior government officials. These meetings resulted in agreements to expand cooperation in agricultural machinery, pesticides, livestock farming, facility agriculture, mineral development, and cultural tourism.

At the Chinese embassy in Bogota, Ambassador Zhu Jingyang and Counselor Gao Jinbao encouraged Weifang to leverage its strengths in modern agriculture and foreign trade. They specifically endorsed the city's participation in Expo AgroFuturo 2026, Latin America's premier agro-industrial fair. The delegation also involved the signing of a cooperation agreement between Weifang-based agricultural machinery giant Lovol and Tractocentro Colombia, marking an important step for local Chinese companies expanding into the Latin American market.

The delegation's visit to Ecuador also proved fruitful. They met with Chinese ambassador to Ecuador Chen Guoyou to discuss potential collaboration in small agricultural machinery and facility agriculture. Furthermore, the delegation engaged with officials from the city of Guaranda and participated in cultural and trade exchanges focusing on agricultural technology, sister-city partnerships, and cultural tourism.

The visit strengthened Weifang's economic, cultural, and technological ties with Colombia and Ecuador, laying the foundation for deeper collaboration and expanding the city's presence across Latin America.