The economic partnership between China and the African continent has just reached an unprecedented peak. For the first time, the volume of bilateral trade has exceeded the symbolic threshold of US$300 billion even before the end of the calendar year.

Key performance figures

According to the General Administration of Customs of China, data from the first eleven months of the year reveal exceptional momentum:

1. Total volume: $314.413 billion (a 17.8% year-on-year increase).
2. Comparison: This amount already exceeds the record for the entire year of 2024 ($295.5 billion).
3. Chinese exports to Africa: $201.715 billion (+26.3%).
4. Chinese imports from Africa: $112.698 billion (+5.2%).

Two-speed growth

Although global trade is booming, the analysis reveals distinct trajectories. Growth is primarily driven by Chinese exports , fueled by strong African demand for manufactured goods, industrial equipment, and inputs needed for the continent's major infrastructure projects.

Conversely, African exports to China are growing more modestly. While China remains a major market for African natural and agricultural resources, the challenge of local processing and diversification into higher value-added products remains a priority for rebalancing the trade deficit.

A dynamic that extends across the entire continent

Far from being limited to a few privileged partners, this economic vitality is geographically well distributed:

1. Of the 54 African countries, 41 saw their trade with China grow by more than 10% .
2. 22 countries even show a spectacular increase of more than 30% .

This dispersion shows that the trade relationship is deepening with a wide variety of nations, beyond just oil or mineral exporters.

Resilience and prospects

In an unstable global climate, the robustness of this trade axis testifies to the strength of cooperation structures, such as the FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) .

Crossing the $300 billion mark is a historic milestone, but also raises future challenges: reducing the trade gap and gaining access for African finished products to the Chinese market will be the true indicators of a partnership reaching full maturity.