BEIJING -- China's trade with African countries hit a record high in the first five months of this year, official data showed Monday.

The China-Africa trade volume increased 12.4 percent year-on-year in the January-May period to 963.21 billion yuan (about $134 billion), accounting for 5.4 percent of the country's total foreign trade, according to the General Administration of Customs.

China's exports to Africa rose 20.2 percent from a year ago to 599.57 billion yuan in the first five months, while its imports gained 1.6 percent to 363.64 billion yuan.