Guerrilla-Turned-Filmmaker: Colombia’s Versatile Envoy in Beijing

Colombian Ambassador to China Sergio Cabrera speaks during an interview with AFP at the Colombian embassy in Beijing on May 23, 2025. (Photo by JADE GAO / AFP)

Colombia’s ambassador to China first arrived in Beijing six decades ago and trained under Mao Zedong’s revolutionary forces, before returning home to join a communist guerrilla group.

Sergio Cabrera then made a name for himself as an acclaimed filmmaker, and now his storied career has brought him back to the Chinese capital, where he is spearheading Colombia’s landmark rapprochement with the Asian giant.

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