A Model for Modernisation
Despite rising unilateralism and protectionism in the West and increasing uncertainties in global trade, China-Africa economic and trade cooperation remains on a fast track, backed by concrete actions towards common modernisation. This collaboration reinforces solidarity across the Global South and contributes to greater stability and confidence in the global multilateral trading system.
In a letter to the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held on 11 June in Changsha, Hunan Province, Chinese President Xi Jinping provided strategic guidance for advancing the modernisation of both sides and building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
The meeting was followed by the fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, held in Changsha from 12 to 15 June, where 176 contracts worth $11.39 billion were signed - a 45.8 percent increase compared to the previous expo.
Economics in command
Economic and trade cooperation is a driving force of China-Africa relations. In recent years, under the guidance of top leaders, this cooperation has been continuously upgraded, demonstrating its strong vitality.
Firstly, bilateral trade has grown by leaps and bounds. China’s total trade with Africa expanded from less than 100 billion yuan ($13.94 billion) in 2000, the year FOCAC was established, to 2.1 trillion yuan ($292.74 billion) in 2024, marking a more than 20-fold increase and an average annual growth rate of 14.2 percent. In 2024 alone, China-Africa trade volume reached a record high of $295.6 billion. China has remained Africa’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years.
Secondly, the China-Africa trade structure has improved significantly. Africa’s exports to China have shifted from being heavily dominated by mineral resources to a more balanced mix that gives equal importance to agricultural products. China is now the second-largest destination for African agricultural exports. Meanwhile, the share of new energy vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products in China’s exports to Africa is rapidly rising. China-Africa economic and trade ties are evolving towards greater diversity, higher value, and stronger technological focus, with growth increasingly driven by green industries, e-commerce, and innovation.
Thirdly, the integration of industrial chains has continued to deepen. The complementary strengths of China and Africa in terms of resources, industrial structures and development stages are driving the optimisation and upgrading of industrial systems in both regions. Africa serves as a key source of resources and agricultural products for China, while also representing a vital market for Chinese manufactured goods. At the same time, China is leveraging its capital and technological capabilities to establish economic and trade cooperation zones across the continent, supporting and accelerating Africa’s industrialisation. By the end of 2023, China’s cumulative investment in Africa had reached $42.12 billion, with nearly 3,300 Chinese enterprises operating in 51 African countries and regions.
Economic and trade cooperation, often seen as a barometer of China-Africa relations, continues to generate strong momentum. This progress is anchored in high-level strategic mutual trust, firm government support, and the institutional backing of a multi-layered cooperation framework.
Institutional support
Mutual strategic trust underpins the political framework guiding China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. At present, China-Africa ties are at their strongest in history. China’s bilateral relations with all African countries that have diplomatic ties with it have been elevated to strategic partnerships, and the overall framework has been redefined as an “all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era,” offering political direction for enhancing the quality and impact of economic cooperation.
China is committed to the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith in its engagement with African countries, taking concrete actions to support Africa’s independent development. A notable example is China’s pledge to grant zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines for exports from 53 African countries with diplomatic ties, opening up its market with genuine goodwill and injecting strong momentum into bilateral trade amid a global wave of anti-globalisation.
In addition, the creation of multiple cooperation platforms and trade-facilitation initiatives has provided long-term institutional support for China-Africa economic relations. Since its launch in 2000, FOCAC has propelled bilateral cooperation into a phase of rapid, comprehensive, and stable growth. Since 2019, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo has emerged as the most important national-level platform for deepening trade and investment ties with Africa. China has also signed framework agreements on jointly developing economic partnerships with 22 African countries and concluded 22 protocols on agricultural exports from 18 African countries to China - providing institutional safeguards for long-term cooperation.
Amid global turbulence, the success of this year’s China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo is especially significant, carrying implications that go beyond trade and economics. As a key pillar of the 10 Partnership Actions to jointly promote modernisation, the Partnership Action for Trade Prosperity has delivered notable results. According to the List of Outcomes of the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Beijing Summit of FOCAC, total China-Africa trade has seen marked growth. Channels for African exports to China have expanded, market access has widened, and cross-border e-commerce cooperation has deepened.
For cooperation among the Global South countries, the partnership between China and Africa sets a benchmark for advancing modernisation, sincere friendship, and equality. It will undoubtedly inspire countries across the Global South to unite, collaborate, and pursue independent development, triggering a broader wave of modernisation.
In the context of the international economic and trade order, China and Africa’s results-oriented cooperation reflects their commitment to openness and mutual benefit. Based on the China-Africa Changsha Declaration on Upholding Solidarity and Cooperation of the Global South, both sides have pledged to firmly oppose unilateralism and protectionism, and jointly defend the international system centred on the United Nations and the multilateral trading system led by the World Trade Organisation. This partnership will inject positive energy into the development of a fairer, more orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive global economy.
* This article was first published at China’s Diplomacy in the New Era website.
The author is Assistant Research Fellow from China Institute of International Studies
