Bogota: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday his country would invest in a post-conflict Colombia, despite the uncertainty of stop-start peace talks between the Latin American nation and rebels to end decades of fighting.
Following a meeting with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in Bogota, Li said China could help boost the country`s infrastructure if peace was reached.
"Colombia, in this process of promoting peace in the country, has a great demand and will create favourable conditions for the construction of infrastructure," Li said.
Li, who is on a tour of Latin American countries, stressed that China could "actively participate in post-conflict reconstruction."
The government has been in negotiations with rebels since 2012 to end a civil conflict in the country that has claimed some 200,000 lives.
On the same day Li and Santos met 18 rebels were killed in an air strike following the Colombian government`s lifting of a ban on bombings after a guerrilla attack.
Talks had also resumed Thursday between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), but have been continually derailed by attacks from both sides, including the capture of a government general.
After their meeting, Santos thanked Li for a pledge of USD 8 million for post-conflict Colombia.
Trade between the two countries has grown massively in the last decade, reaching around USD 17 billion in 2014, Santos said.
