Photo: Luis Alberto Arce Catacora / X.
On August 5, 2025, Bolivian President Luis Arce and a high-level Chinese delegation held a bilateral meeting in Sucre, where they reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation on two key fronts: the Bioceanic Railway Corridor and the diversification of bilateral trade. The announcement was made by Bolivia’s Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa, who described the meeting as an important step for regional integration and economic development.
Key agreements from the meeting:
- Joint support for the Bioceanic Railway Corridor, a major infrastructure project connecting the ports of Santos (Brazil) and Chancay (Peru) through Bolivian territory, creating a vital link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
- Non-reimbursable aid from China totaling 100 million yuan (approx. USD 14 million) and USD 500,000, aimed at strengthening Bolivia’s institutional and logistical capacity.
- China’s commitment to import a broader range of Bolivian goods, including beverages, food products, meat, and chia seeds.
Minister Sosa emphasized that the railway corridor had been reactivated by the Arce administration in 2021 and remains central to Bolivia’s strategy for asserting regional sovereignty and logistical leadership in South America.
The meeting also addressed the recent approval for Bolivian chia seed exports to China, a milestone achieved earlier this year, and part of a wider effort to promote value-added exports to the Chinese market.
According to Bolivian officials, the development of the Bioceanic Railway has drawn growing international interest. China has expressed support for the project as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, and companies have already shown investment interest following presentations by Bolivian representatives at infrastructure forums in China.
The project is expected to reduce transport times and costs between South America and Asia, and position Bolivia as a key player in continental logistics and trade connectivity.
* Original text in Spanish. Translated by Large Language Model (LLM) technology.
Main Source:
Bolivia y China hablan del impulsar el corredor bioceánico y ampliar el comercio bilateral – ABI
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