Bilateral trade between China and Africa climbed to $222.05 billion in the first eight months of 2025, rising 15.4% from the same period in 2024, China’s General Administration of Customs reported on September 22.
The increase came mainly from higher Chinese exports to Africa, which rose 24.7% year-on-year to $140.79 billion. Analysts link this growth to Beijing’s pivot toward emerging markets as the U.S. raises tariffs on Chinese goods.
Chinese imports from Africa advanced only 2.3% to $81.25 billion in the same period. The imbalance pushed Africa’s trade deficit with China to $59.55 billion, nearly equal to the $61.93 billion recorded for all of 2024.
The structural imbalance reflects Africa’s export reliance on raw materials such as crude oil, copper, cobalt, and iron ore, while importing high-value-added manufactured goods from China.
Chinese exports of solar equipment to Africa highlighted the disparity. Between July 2024 and June 2025, Africa imported 15,032 megawatts of Chinese solar panels, up 60% from 9,379 MW in the previous 12 months.
China’s exports to Africa also included machinery, electronics, and green technologies, reinforcing its position as the continent’s leading supplier of manufactured products.
Tariff Reductions to Narrow the Gap
China has taken steps to address the imbalance. It eliminated tariffs on 98% of imports from 21 African countries, including Ethiopia, Guinea, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Togo. Since December 1, 2024, Beijing also applies zero tariffs on all imports from least developed countries (LDCs) with diplomatic ties, including 33 African nations.
These measures align with pledges made by President Xi Jinping at the 8th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Dakar in 2021. Xi committed to raising China’s imports of African agricultural goods to $100 billion annually from 2022 and to $300 billion annually by 2035.
