A merchant (L) from Colombia introduces wedding decorations to purchasers in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 22, 2018. Photo:Xinhua  News Agency

Trade between China and Colombia hit a record of 48.34 billion yuan ($6.7 billion) in the first four months of 2025, an 8.5 percent increase year-on-year, marking the highest trade volume ever recorded for the same period, according to data from China's General Administration of Customs on Wednesday.

The growth rate outpaced China's overall foreign trade expansion by 6.1 percentage points, the data showed.

Total trade volume between the two countries reached 149.63 billion yuan in 2024, a 13.1 percent increase from the previous year. It marked the fourth consecutive year bilateral trade has exceeded 120 billion yuan.

In recent years, China and Colombia have strengthened bilateral ties through expanding trade exchanges and deepening cooperation in agricultural products. These developments have contributed to the rapid growth in trade between the two nations.

As bilateral trade continues to grow, more high-quality and specialty Colombian products are entering the Chinese market. Colombia has become China's third-largest source of imported coffee and fresh-cut flowers. 

From January to April, China imported 470 million yuan of Colombian coffee, representing 14.2 percent of its total coffee imports. Fresh-cut flower imports from Colombia rose 14.6 percent year-on-year to 13.6 million yuan, representing 10 percent of China's total in that category.

"China's increasingly diverse and enriched consumer market is fueling demand for a broader range of products, including items like coffee and fresh flowers from Colombia," Zhou Zhiwei, an expert on Latin American studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

According to Zhou, coffee and fresh flowers are among Colombia's top premium export products. Their rising exports to China are also being driven improved logistics.

Since establishing diplomatic relations 45 years ago, the two countries have made significant strides in economic cooperation. Colombia is China's fifth-largest trading partner in Latin America, while China has remained Colombia's second-largest trading partner for several consecutive years, said the General Administration of Customs.

On Wednesday, China and Colombia signed the cooperation plan on the Belt and Road Initiative, Xinhua News Agency reported.

"Colombia's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative will create major opportunities for its exports," Zhou said, noting that enhanced trade facilitation is expected to make it easier for Colombian goods to enter the vast Chinese market, bringing benefits to Chinese consumers as well.