The Hinrich Foundation published on 20 January 2026 an article titled "Africa's Donkey Trade Moratorium Shapes China's Approach on Global South" by Lauren Johnston.
In 2024, the African Union halted exports to China of African donkey skins, which provide collagen used to manufacture a Chinese traditional medicine known as ejiao. Chinese demand for African donkey hides reached 4 to 6 million a year, decimating the donkey population on the continent.
China has responded by increasing internal donkey production, developing other sources outside Africa, and improving the supply chain for producing the traditional Chinese medicine.
