Colombia is increasingly looking beyond the United States for trade and development, adopting a global perspective that is more fitting for the current age, said Colombian President Gustavo Petro in Beijing. Petro, in the Chinese capital for the the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum in the Chinese capital, delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony on Wednesday. In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) the following day, he emphasized the need for Colombia to break free from the geopolitical dominance of the U.S. Under the Monroe Doctrine, the United States has historically regarded Latin America as its own "backyard," abusing the so-called economic control and political hegemony. In the Colombian president's view, that dynamic must come to an end. "As I said, the era of being a peripheral country that follows the United States is gone. Colombia must look to the whole world. We are not turning our attention away from the United States, but rather broadening our perspective to simultaneously look southward toward the American continent and expand our horizons to both the east and west. This signifies Colombia's openness to the world," he said. Since February this year, the U.S. has imposed wide-ranging unilateral tariffs on many Latin American countries, including Colombia, and forced some countries to concede on immigration issues. "In the United States, it is not difficult to see such a situation: the Latin American people often encounter manhunts on the streets of American cities. Once captured, if they lack legal identity, they will be arrested and deported back to their home countries wearing handcuffs like slaves. I have experienced thousands of such incidents, so undoubtedly this is an increasingly turbulent and unstable world. The current northbound migration wave stems from a root cause: poverty. If there is development in the south, there would be no need for migration towards the north. If we focus more on development in the south, the cornerstone of world peace will always be dialogue between civilizations, rather than 'bombs' falling on homelands," Petro said. The video shows: FILE: Bogota, Colombia - Feb 7, 2020 1. National flag of Colombia Beijing, China - May 14, 2025 2. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Gustavo Petro, Colombian President (partially overlaid with shot 3): "As I said, the era of being a peripheral country that follows the United States is gone. Colombia must look to the whole world. We are not turning our attention away from the United States, but rather broadening our perspective to simultaneously look southward toward the American continent and expand our horizons to both the east and west. This signifies Colombia's openness to the world." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 3. Reporter ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ FILE: Barranquilla, Colombia - June 6-7, 2024 FILE: Washington D.C., USA - Oct 2024 5. Various of White House, U.S. national flag Beijing, China - May 14, 2025 6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Gustavo Petro, Colombian President (starting with shot 5/partially overlaid with shot 7/ending with shot 8): "In the United States, it is not difficult to see such a situation: the Latin American people often encounter manhunts on the streets of American cities. Once captured, if they lack legal identity, they will be arrested and deported back to their home countries wearing handcuffs like slaves. I have experienced thousands of such incidents, so undoubtedly this is an increasingly turbulent and unstable world. The current northbound migration wave stems from a root cause: poverty. If there is development in the south, there would be no need for migration towards the north. If we focus more on development in the south, the cornerstone of world peace will always be dialogue between civilizations, rather than 'bombs' falling on homelands." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 7. Various of interview in progress, reporter ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 8. Various of interview in progress, reporter FILE: Bogota, Colombia - Oct 23, 2019 9. Cityscape FILE: Bogota, Colombia - May 15, 2019 10. Various of pedestrians FILE: Bogota, Colombia - July 2, 2017 11. Various of traffic [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]