Colombian presidential election

Colombian President Gustavo Petro will visit China this week, Beijing's foreign ministry said yesterday, with the leftist leader seeking to strengthen ties with the world's second-largest economy.

Petro's visit comes at the invitation of President Xi Jinping and will take place from today to Oct. 26, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

BOGOTÁ, Colombia - Germán Vargas Lleras, the former Vice-President of Colombia who stepped down two months ago as the second-in-command to President Juan Manuel Santos to focus on the 2018 election, is the frontrunner in the early presidential poll.