The Colombian government announced the cancellation of the official trip to China that President Gustavo Petro and Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio had planned for this December, in response to the controversy sparked by the recent visit of a group of Colombian lawmakers to Taipei, on the island of Taiwan.
That parliamentary delegation coincided with public statements suggesting the intention to reestablish trade relations and possibly open a trade office in Taiwan, which triggered diplomatic alarms. The Executive reacted quickly: The Foreign Ministry reiterated that Colombia remains committed to the “One China” policy, under which Taiwan is considered part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China, and rejected any attempt to recognize the island as an independent state.
Colombian government cancels trip to China amid tensions over congressional visit to Taiwan
The decision was made after the visit to Taiwan by the chairs of the second committees of the Senate and the House — among them Mauricio Giraldo and Mauricio Londoño — who, according to their account, sought to explore cooperation opportunities in areas such as technology, agriculture, health, innovation, and education, and even raised the possibility of reopening a Colombian trade office in Taipei.
Regarding the controversy, Senator Giraldo stated through a press release that he has never announced the immediate opening of a Colombian office in Taiwan. “What I have expressed, with complete transparency, is the intention to promote the creation or reestablishment of a trade office that already existed and that would strengthen trade, cooperation, and development opportunities for Colombia,” he emphasized.
That suggestion was interpreted by the Foreign Ministry as a violation of the diplomatic principle Colombia has upheld since 1980: The exclusive recognition of the People’s Republic of China as the legitimate government of all China, which implies not recognizing Taiwan as an independent state.
Consequently, although the lawmakers described their statements as part of their work to seek economic relations in favor of Colombia, the executive considered them an interference in the conduct of foreign policy, which under the Constitution is the responsibility of the president.
“We want to reiterate that Colombia has maintained, for the last 45 years, a strict adherence to the ‘One China’ principle. This state policy, sustained uninterruptedly by successive governments, including that of President Gustavo Petro, recognizes that there is only one China in the world, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory, and that the Government of the People’s Republic of China, with its capital in Beijing, is its only legitimate government,” reads the statement from the Foreign Ministry.
For that reason, the Colombian government’s visit to China was postponed; official sources indicated that the new trip would be scheduled for the first quarter of 2026. Sources close to the government describe the lawmakers’ intentions as an act of “sabotage” against the government and “disloyalty.”
🇨🇴✈️ Sobre la visita de dos congresistas colombianos a Taiwán
Los congresistas @OscarGiraldoH (Presidente de la Comisión de Relaciones Internacionales del Senado) y @AlvaroLondono_ (Presidente de la Comisión de Relaciones Internacionales de la Cámara)
Se encuentran en Taipéi… pic.twitter.com/5qhHv4gTq2
— Inder Ramírez ( 雷昫虎） (@InderRamirez) November 27, 2025
Taiwan, an undisputed historical red line
The conflict between China and Taiwan is one of the most persistent flashpoints in Asian geopolitics — and a potential trigger for a global crisis — for decades. Its origins date back to 1949, when the Chinese Communist Party won the civil war and proclaimed the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing. The defeated government, led by the Kuomintang, withdrew to the island of Taiwan and maintained the Republic of China (ROC) there. Since then, both entities have claimed to be the legitimate government of all China.
The situation evolved over the decades. While Beijing upholds the “One China” principle — under which Taiwan is a rebellious province that must be reunified, by force if necessary — the island has developed a democratic political system and an increasingly distinct Taiwanese identity. Although it has not formally declared independence, its government in practice acts as a sovereign state.
The international factor — even after the Cold War — plays a leading role. The United States has officially recognized PRC since 1979 but maintains military and trade ties with Taiwan and is committed, under the Taiwan Relations Act, to ensuring that the island can defend itself. This ambiguous balance seeks to deter both a formal declaration of independence and a Chinese invasion.
In recent years, Beijing’s increased military maneuvers around the island and its diplomatic pressure have heightened tensions. For China, reunification is a “historic objective”; for Taiwan, giving in would mean losing its democratic model. Stuck in the middle are regional and global powers, aware that any escalation would affect trade routes, tech supply chains, and Indo-Pacific stability. The conflict remains without a clear solution and continues to be a permanent global hotspot.
Colombia and its position in the China-Taiwan conflict
The sensitivity of the situation is better understood when considering the geopolitical nature of the conflict between China and Taiwan. Since 1980, when Colombia recognized the People’s Republic of China and severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the country has maintained its formal adherence to the “One China” policy. Even so, there has historically been a Taipei Commercial Office in Bogota, which allowed unofficial trade contacts with the island.
The reopening of a Colombian trade office in Taipei, as proposed by some lawmakers, would have been a diplomatic step not overlooked by Beijing: Any variation in such ties could be interpreted as a sign of leaning toward Taiwan, which would inevitably strain relations with China. In a context of global competition for influence in the Asia-Pacific region, diplomatic prudence outweighs partisan commercial interests.
Colombia, which in recent years has sought to strengthen its ties with China — including its entry into the international Belt and Road Initiative after a presidential visit to Beijing this past May — could not afford a setback in that diplomatic agenda due to the initiative of an independent parliamentary mission.
The lawmakers’ actions have put at risk the Colombian government’s strategy of drawing closer to China as an investment hub, in an attempt — thus far successful — to deepen trade relations, a particularly sensitive issue in the context of the U.S. tariff war.