Chinese President Xi Jinping and Bolivian President Luis Arce held a very upbeat and productive meeting on Nov. 19 on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to discuss deepening their cooperation, looking to jointly celebrate next year’s commemoration of 40 years of diplomatic relations, as well as the August 2025 celebration of Bolivia’s bicentennial. As China’s State Council reported today, Xi called for them to align China’s Belt and Road Initiative, with Bolivia’s 2025 development plan, which focuses on industrialization, import substitution, poverty alleviation and guaranteeing health and education services for the population. Bolivia had joined the Belt and Road in September 2018. Xi emphasized his government’s desire to upgrade their strategic relationship to a much higher level.
In a post on X, President Arce reported that Xi had expressed interest in providing financing for key Bolivian strategic projects such as mining, industrialization of lithium and their binational aerospace program. According to Los Tiempos, Arce explained that Xi “also expressed his interest in analyzing the building of a bioceanic railroad, uniting the Pacific and Atlantic, beginning at Peru’s Chancay megaport and traversing BRICS partner countries such as Bolivia and Brazil.” Bolivia became a BRICS partner nation at the BRICS Oct. 22-24 summit in Kazan, Russia. Xi and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte jointly inaugurated the Chancay port on Nov. 14 during Xi’s visit to Lima for the APEC summit.
