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China-Africa relations
ChinaDiplomacy

China-Africa trade bouncing back from Covid-19 impact, figures suggest

  • Two-way trade for the year to the end of August shows 40 per cent rise from coronavirus-hit 2020
  • South Africa is the biggest trade partner, rallying after easing strict pandemic measures, while China is actively buying African agricultural products

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China is buying soybeans from African countries including Tanzania and Ethiopia. Photo: Reuters
Jevans Nyabiage
China’s trade with Africa could return to pre-pandemic levels as economies heal from its devastating impact if recent momentum is maintained.

In the first eight months of the year, total two-way trade between China and African countries grew by 40 per cent year on year to US$162.7 billion, according to Chinese customs data.

In 2020, the figure for 12 months dropped 11 per cent year on year to US$187 billion, after growing 2 per cent to US$208.7 billion in 2019, before the coronavirus emerged.

In the year to the end of August, China bought goods worth US$68.8 billion, up 45 per cent from the same period last year. It has continued to source raw materials such as oil, cobalt and copper, and also bought agricultural products such as chilli pepper, cashew nuts, sesame seeds and spices.

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Tanzania last year began to export soybeans to China, as Beijing sought to cut its reliance on the US and Brazil for supplies of the oilseed. Similar deals have been struck for Kenyan avocados, tea, coffee and roses, Ethiopian coffee and soybeans, beef products from Namibia and Botswana, fruit from South Africa, and Rwandan coffee.

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