Colombia surprised Tharoor. Does its pro-Pak stance have China link?

India Today

a day ago

A friend of a friend also becomes your friend, the saying goes. It holds true in geopolitics as well. An example is Colombia, which has singed India by expressing condolences over the loss of lives (read terrorists) in Pakistan in India's Operation Sindoor. Colombia's move was vehemently deplored by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor as he visited the South American country as part of India's global outreach to expose Pakistan's role in terrorism.advertisementBut why would Colombia, a country in far off South America that has been a victim of terrorism itself, side with terror-sponsor Pakistan? It shouldn't be too difficult to gauge if seen against the recent developments. Earlier in May, Colombia signed a joint cooperation plan under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the ambitious connectivity project of China, Pakistan's "all-weather friend". It came as the country started leaning towards China on trade amid strained ties with the US under Donald Trump.
Against the backdrop of these developments, little is left to imagination as to why Colombia, rather than sympathising with India following the Pahalgam terror attack, chose to mourn the loss of terrorists in Pakistan.SHASHI THAROOR ON COLOMBIA'S PAK STANCEAt a press briefing in Colombia's capital Bogota, Tharoor did not hide his dismay.advertisement"We were a little disappointed in the reaction of the Colombian government... We will say to our friends in Columbia there can be no equivalence between those who dispatch terrorists and those who resist them. There can be no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend," the MP from Kerala spelt out.The Lok Sabha MP, who is leading one of the seven delegations, made it clear that India could not have allowed the Pahalgam terror attack to go unanswered and underscored that under Operation Sindoor, only terror camps were targeted."Just as Colombia has endured many terror attacks, so have we in India. We are only exercising our right of self-defence. We are here to dispel any such misunderstanding," he further said.As Tharoor was defending India in Colombia, his own party used the issue to attack the government back home."What is happening in foreign policy? A country like Colombia is standing with Pakistan. We will not ask which country stood with India?" Congress spokesperson Asma Tasleem tweeted.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro with Xi Jinping in Beijing (AFP)
COLOMBIA'S SHIFT TOWARDS CHINAWhile India and Colombia have a long history of diplomatic relations, with cooperation in trade and renewable energy, there seems to be a China link to the South American nation's pro-Pakistan remarks.advertisementUnder President Gustavo Petro, the country's fiscal situation has worsened in recent years amid rising fuel and food costs. In 2024, GDP growth plummeted to 0.6% from 7.3% in 2022.On top of that, Petro has crossed swords with Trump as his government leans towards China. He even called the US President "Donald Duck". That's quite a shift, because until recently, Colombia was one of America's closest trade and security partners.The trigger point was deportation flights from the US carrying alleged illegal Colombian immigrants. While Colombia initially denied entry to US military planes, viewing it as a sort of humiliation, it then sent its own aircraft to bring them home. The move came after Trump warned of hefty US tariffs.DRAGON DANCE IN TRUMP'S BACKYARDIn comes China, which moved swiftly to make Colombia part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia described the development as the country's "boldest step in decades".Beijing's China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a part of the BRI, which aims to develop trade routes connecting China to the rest of the world. However, the US views it as China's bid to increase its sphere of influence.advertisementAlready, China has surpassed the US as the biggest trading partner of several countries (Brazil, Peru, Chile) in Latin America, considered the US's backyard. Moreover, around two-thirds of Latin American countries have signed up to the BRI.With Colombia now part of the BRI, China has also extended a welcome gift, proposing to sell two dozen Chengdu J-10CE 'Vigorous Dragon' fighter jets. The move is a familiar part of China's powerplay. Pakistan is also heavily dependent on China for its defence needs (it imports nearly 82% of its military hardware).Thus, in light of these developments, there's little left to guess why Colombia chose to side with China's "ironclad friend" Pakistan as tensions ran high with India.Must Watch