Colombia–Ecuador trade tensions
Social feeds picked up a growing trade dispute between Colombia and Ecuador that has raised concerns about tariffs and economic stakes for the region’s exporters. (x.com)
Ecuador has raised its tariff on Colombian imports to 100%, effective May 1, deepening a trade fight that Colombia first answered with retaliation and then partly walked back. (elpais.com) Ecuador’s Ministry of Production announced the increase on April 9, doubling a 50% levy it had already imposed on Colombian goods. Quito said the move was tied to border security and Colombia’s alleged failure to take “concrete and effective measures” against drug trafficking on the shared frontier. (produccion.gob.ec) Colombia’s trade ministry initially said it would raise tariffs on imports from Ecuador to 100% from 30%. On April 13, President Gustavo Petro reversed that plan in a televised cabinet meeting and said Colombia would use subsidies and “smart” tariffs instead of a blanket 100% duty. (usnews.com) The dispute started in January, when Ecuador imposed a 30% tariff on Colombian imports and Colombia responded with a similar measure. Colombia also suspended electricity sales to Ecuador, and Ecuador later added a surcharge tied to Colombian crude moving through the SOTE pipeline. (usnews.com; elpais.com) The numbers are large enough to hit exporters on both sides of the border. Reuters, citing Colombia’s statistics agency DANE, reported that Colombia ran a $1.016 billion trade surplus with Ecuador in 2025, with $1.847 billion in exports and $830.1 million in imports. (usnews.com) Colombia’s trade ministry said the products covered by its response are concentrated in fish preparations, palm oil, rice, chemicals, plastics and metal manufactures from Ecuador. The ministry said imports in those categories totaled 683,825.8 metric tons between January 2023 and October 2025. (mincit.gov.co) The fight has also spilled into diplomacy. El País reported that Ecuador recalled its ambassador from Bogotá for consultations after Petro referred again to former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas as a “political prisoner,” a comment Quito called interference in its internal affairs. (elpais.com) Both governments say security is central to their case, but they describe the problem differently. President Daniel Noboa said Colombia has not matched Ecuador’s anti-trafficking effort on the border, while Petro said Bogotá has continued operations against armed groups and cocaine trafficking and rejected Ecuador’s accusations. (elpais.com; usnews.com) The legal backdrop is regional as well as bilateral. A Colombian draft decree published earlier this year cited Andean Community Decision 563 as part of the basis for reciprocal tariff action, underscoring how a border dispute is now testing rules inside the four-country trade bloc. (mincit.gov.co) For now, the clearest date is May 1, when Ecuador’s 100% tariff is due to take effect. Colombia has stepped back from matching it across the board, but exporters still face a fight that has moved from customs duties to energy, diplomacy and the politics of border security. (elpais.com; usnews.com)
