As president pro tempore of CELAC, the Colombian leader will use the opportunity to strengthen ties during the ongoing tariff war.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed this Monday that he will travel to Beijing in May to participate in the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and China.

“We’re getting ready for a trip to China. I’m going as president of CELAC… I’m now twice-president – president of Colombia and president of Latin America and the Caribbean,” he said during a cabinet meeting broadcast nationwide.

Petro’s participation in the CELAC-China Forum meeting had been announced on April 9 by Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia, who accompanied him to the CELAC summit in Tegucigalpa where Colombia assumed the bloc’s pro tempore presidency.

“I want to talk with the Chinese about dialogue among civilizations, about Latin America’s need to embrace the world, and about Colombia, obviously, to sign several trade agreements,” the president added Tuesday.