Â鶹ԼÅÄ

Colombia’s first leftist president, Gustavo Petro, met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on his maiden state visit to the world’s second-largest economy.

The two countries have elevated diplomatic relations to the next level - a so-called "strategic-partnership" - which is likely to raise eyebrows in Washington, given Colombia is the oldest US ally in Latin America.

(Picture: Colombian President Visits China. Picture credit: Getty Images)