Colombia is working on its new international economic identity.

The Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and the USA is expected quite soon in the upcoming months of 2012; it used to be perceived as a key goal for the South American nation, an essential component of a possible, yet not guaranteed, economic development pulling the country out of the dependence and fame linked to cocaine. Now that this goal is approaching can no longer be perceived as essential as pointed out in a very recent article (October 31st, 2011) published by BusinessWeek Bloomberg “Colombia Gets a U.S. Trade Treaty It May No Longer Need

The Latin American country has teamed up with the Chinese and courted the Canadians” http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/colombia-gets-a-us-trade-treaty-it-may-no-longer-need-10272011.html .

Colombia in recent months has gained a closer and closer relationship with Canada (which Free Trade Agreement recently got started) but mostly with China and other countries in the South Asian Region, on top of them all South Korea. The international economic image of the country is improving rapidly sustained by the positive economic and financial data that Colombia keeps showing even within the global economic and financial crisis. 

Colombia has already reduced by 37 % the cultivation of cocaine and this is a key aspect to developing its image as a viable economic partner; the other one often pointed out (and stressed by the US) is the one relevant to strengthening the actual protection of unions, entities that are still underdeveloped and immature in the country even to constructively contribute to a positive and progressive economic development.

Time will tell if the Colombian efforts to grow also from an international perspective will be utilized effectively for the actual progress of the country as a whole affecting positively also the social dimension. Hopefully Colombia will have enough power and foresight to manage well those surging relations, most of all with potentially invasive powers as China.