Colombia prepares to enter China and the rest of the Asian markets with strength. With an eye on diversifying its foreign trade relations, and with the United States still its main trading partner, Colombian products are seeking to seize new opportunities under a clear premise: diversification in international markets.
China is already Colombia’s leading trading supplier, so in its push to expand exports to the Asian continent, the country must have a roadmap and an export basket tailored to that market, the largest in the world.
Foreign trade experts argue that the South American nation has the conditions and capacities to break strongly into these distant markets, consolidating and expanding the ties and exports that already exist today, especially with China.
In fact, in 2024 the Chinese market accounted for 26.2% of Colombia’s non-mining, non-energy exports (US$463,1 million), while Japan ranked second with 16.6% of the total, worth US$293.4 million. South Korea came in third, with 15.3% and a total value of US$270.5 million.
Colombia sets sights on Asian markets
At Expo 2025 Osaka, which was attended last week by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, the International Business Matchmaking Forum advanced strongly, offering a space for Colombian agricultural associations and cooperatives to establish strategic contacts and commercial agreements.
The initiative is led by the Rural Development Agency (ADR) with the backing of various government entities, aiming to strengthen the country’s export potential. China is the focal point from which the Colombian government wants to make its declared goal of diversifying exports and foreign trade relations a reality, with special interest in the Asian market.
According to ADR president Cesar Pachon, agreements reached in Osaka will facilitate the entry of Colombian products into high-growth markets in Asia and Europe. At the same time, institutions such as ProColombia and the Ministry of Trade are pushing to bring Colombian agricultural products to Asia. ADR explains: “The goal is to offer producers not only the opportunity to market their goods, but also to strengthen their capacities in terms of innovation, added value, and international quality standards.”
To this end, Colombia is seeking to boost the presence of agribusiness and fishery goods, tapping into the growing interest among Asian consumers in healthy and sustainably sourced foods.
Colombian companies have already made inroads in markets such as South Korea and Singapore, where avocado and coffee are gaining recognition. At the same time, opportunities are being explored for beef and dairy products, though these still face strict sanitary protocols.
Colombia must define an export offer to China
On this point, Javier Diaz, president of the National Foreign Trade Association (Analdex), stressed that the Chinese market is very important for Colombia, but warned that it is essential to define an exportable offer, as Chile and Peru have done.
“China has been urbanizing millions of people. Who is going to feed those people? Most likely Latin America. Why not Colombia? That’s where we need to ask ourselves how we are preparing, what products we can develop. You have to do that work before saying you’re going to sell to China,” Diaz told the local financial daily Portafolio.
For the business leader, what cannot happen is trying to sell the Asian giant what is currently exported to the United States, such as flowers or coffee. He explained that in the case of flowers, logistics times to China are too long, which would cause the product to spoil, and in the case of coffee, the population is not yet accustomed to drinking it and is only beginning to learn.
Even so, business associations argue that Colombia has strong potential to export agricultural products to the huge Chinese market. According to Ingrid Chaves, director of the Colombia-China Chamber of Investment and Trade, quoted by the same outlet, “there are opportunities for products like avocado, Tahiti lime, banana, and beef, which have been gaining ground in recent years, and phytosanitary procedures are also being eased toward that destination.”
The role of the Belt and Road Initiative for Colombia
To that end, Chaves emphasized the importance of Colombia’s participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, as this allows the South American country to receive Chinese infrastructure investment.
“Products like pork and chicken are in high demand in China. The Silk Road framework specifically proposes that Chinese companies invest in Colombia, making us more competitive as a country, considering that we are competing with other countries in the region that even have a Free Trade Agreement, such as Peru and Chile,” she told Portafolio.
However, not all business associations and economic experts agree with this position. Some argue for continuing to prioritize the traditional role of the United States as Colombia’s main trading partner, while conducting exploratory initiatives with China.
The reality is that the Asia-Pacific region accounts for 40% of global gross domestic product and is home to an enormous consumer market that in recent decades has gained greater purchasing power for imported goods.
For now, countries such as Ecuador and Peru have an advantage over Colombia, since they set their sights on Asia much earlier. That is why Ecuador’s president, conservative Daniel Noboa, signed his country’s entry into China’s Belt and Road Initiative, just as Colombia did.
One way or another, Colombia is determined to place China and the rest of the Asian market at the center of its international diversification strategy. In the coming days, Colombian associations participating in Expo Osaka 2025 are expected to continue advancing in business consolidation, while strengthening ties between Colombia’s rural sector and international markets.