On August 2nd, 2019, Mr. Julio Cesar Turbay Quintero, head of the Colombian Bamboo Association and former Auditor-general of Colombia, led a 3-person delegation to visit ICBR and INBAR. A formal meeting was held in the head office of INBAR, attended by Ms. LIANG Hong (Ministry of Commerce of China), Dr. LU Wenming (INBAR), Dr. FU Jinhe (INBAR-EARO), Mr. DAI Honghai (ICBR) and other relevant staff.

Deputy General Mr. LU Wenming gave a brief introduction of Colombia’s participation in INBAR since it began its membership in 1999 and the current projects being carried out in Colombia. Mr. Julio mentioned that next year marks the 40th anniversary of the official establishment of diplomatic ties between Colombia and China, during which time a highly friendly and dynamic bilateral relationship was maintained. He added that Colombia is endowed with rich bamboo resources, yet its utilization has been largely limited to raw material export and primary processing. Colombia wishes to strengthen cooperation with China in bamboo industry and apply China’s advanced technology and experience to develop domestic bamboo sector. In response, Mr. DAI Honghai, head of foreign-aid training in bamboo and rattan of ICBR introduced the presence of Colombian officials and artisans in the training programs held by ICBR in recent years. The delegation reiterated their sincere wish for stronger cooperation with ICBR and INBAR in developing and utilizing bamboo and rattan resources and setting up a whole industry chain to update their domestic bamboo industry.

Before the meeting, Dr. FEI Benhua, deputy director general of ICBR, accompanied the delegation to visit the bamboo and rattan exhibition hall of ICBR. Mr. Julio praised the quality and design of the displayed objects.