The China Global South Project published on 9 February 2026 an article titled "China's Export Surge to Africa in 2025 Complicates Efforts to Rebalance Trade" by Christian Geraud Neema Byamungu.
In 2025, China's exports to Africa rose 25.8 percent while imports from Africa grew only 5.4 percent. The dollar value of Chinese exports to Africa was $225 billion versus $123 billion worth of imports from Africa, leaving Africa with a major trade deficit.
Africa's five largest recipients of Chinese goods were Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Liberia, and Algeria. Africa's five largest exporters to China were South Africa, DRC, Angola, Guinea, and Zambia, all oil and/or mineral exporting countries.
