AL JAZEERA: China's strong push into Colombia →

China's interest in what the International Monetary Fund ranks as South America's fastest-growing economy is deepening. Within the last three months, China's Zijin Mining Group Co Ltd bought a gold mine in Colombia, and a consortium led by China Harbor Engineering Co won a contract to build the Bogota metro system.

Colombia's President Ivan Duque shakes hands with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang before their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, where Duque went to bolster Chinese demand for his country's agricultural products [File: Andy Wong/Reuters]