On the evening of May 26, 2026, the inaugural ZhiQiao Dialogue forum — "Trade Disruption and the New Geo-Economic Order: Perspectives from China and Latin America" — was held at Jinshang Yuan, Beijing. The event was jointly organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Colombia in China and Jinshang Group.

H. E. Ambassador Sergio Cabrera Cardenas of Colombia delivered the opening remarks. A keynote dialogue followed among Professor Tu Xinquan, Dean of the WTO Research Institute at the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE); Mr. Wang Zichen, Deputy Secretary-General of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG); and Dr. Enrique Dussel Peters, Director of the China-Mexico Studies Center at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

H.E. Ambassador Sergio Cabrera, Embassy of Colombia in China

"Dialogue remains the most important tool. Listening to each other, understanding different perspectives, and finding common ground will be key to addressing the challenges that lie ahead."Ambassador Cabrera noted that the global landscape is undergoing profound changes, as great-power trade tensions, supply chain disruptions, and technological competition reshape international relations. He emphasized that China-Latin America relations have long moved beyond trade alone, extending into innovation, energy transition, education, and sustainable development. For Colombia, "we firmly believe in the value of international dialogue, and in the need to build bridges between regions that, though geographically distant, share much in common and offer each other valuable opportunities for mutual learning."

"Economic globalization has lost its political foundation — the mutual trust between nations in free trade. The WTO will survive, but it will no longer thrive."Professor Tu Xinquan traced the rise and fall of "hyperglobalization" after the Cold War。

Mr. Wang Zichen addressed the tendency of outside observers to politicize Chinese commercial activities, and called on Latin American nations to protect their own interests while "not allowing legitimate state regulation to become a tool of other countries' geopolitical campaigns."

"The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born." China is already the world's largest economy by purchasing power parity and the leading technology supplier for most Latin American economies — this is not a trend; it is reality."Dr. Dussel Peters said。

Following the forum, the wife of the Colombian Ambassador presented Lilian Tian, founder of Jinshang Group, with a bag of renowned Colombian coffee and an artisan necklace.

Lilian shared: "This morning I couldn't wait to brew the coffee and try on the necklace. Thank you to the Ambassador's wife — she has let this cross-border friendship weave itself into daily life." The coffee and the necklace are a fitting emblem of the ZhiQiao spirit: ZhiQiao is a bridge of knowledge, and a bridge between hearts.