Clued-in | China-Africa trade hits historic milestone amid deeper opening up, cooperation

From high-quality African agri-food products increasingly finding their way onto Chinese dinner tables to Chinese new energy equipment and construction machinery supporting Africa's development, China-Africa trade is increasingly two-way, with deeper integration across industrial chains.

China's trade with African countries reached 1.14 trillion yuan ($168.2 billion) in the first five months of this year, surpassing the 1-trillion-yuan mark for the first time on record for the period, customs data showed. The figure represented a year-on-year increase of 18.2 percent.

This historic milestone is significant not only for the sheer scale of trade involved, but also for what lies beneath it: a deepening structural shift in trade patterns.

Imports increasingly reflect Africa's distinctive products and resource endowments, while exports increasingly showcase China's equipment, technology and industrial-chain support capabilities. The result is a clear pattern of cooperation built on complementary supply and demand, integrated industries, and interconnected markets between China and Africa.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Africa. Starting May 1, China began implementing expanded zero-tariff treatment on imports from all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic relations. This made it the world's first major economy to unilaterally grant comprehensive zero tariffs to all African countries with diplomatic ties, as well as to all least developed countries with which it has diplomatic relations. In 2025, China's trade with Africa reached 2.49 trillion yuan, a 27.5-fold increase from 87.38 billion yuan in 2000.

More notably, the 1.14-trillion-yuan figure was not driven by a single category of goods, but rather reflects simultaneous expansion on both the supply and demand sides, alongside stronger industrial-chain coordination. In the first quarter, China's exports to Africa grew 23.3 percent for intermediate goods, 43.5 percent for capital goods and 25 percent for consumer goods. Chinese imports from Africa reached 95.13 billion yuan in May, up 15 percent year on year and marking nine consecutive months of growth.

The trillion-yuan breakthrough in China-Africa trade should also be viewed against the broader backdrop of China's continued opening up. In the first five months of this year, China's total goods trade reached 20.68 trillion yuan, up 15.3 percent year on year, with exports rising 11.8 percent to 11.91 trillion yuan and imports growing 20.5 percent to 8.77 trillion yuan.

Amid a shifting global trade landscape and rising protectionism, China has continued to expand institutional opening up. It has extended zero-tariff treatment to 63 countries, increased the number of pilot free trade zones to 23, and run open platforms such as the China International Import Expo and the China International Supply Chain Expo on a regular basis. These measures provide more stable market expectations and broader room for cooperation between China and Africa.

The author is deputy dean of the China-Africa Research Institute of Xiangtan University and a professor at the Business School of Xiangtan University.