South Africa's The Mail & Guardian published on 11 March 2026 an article titled "China Announces Major Push to Strengthen Its Partnership with Africa Amid US Trade Tension" by Brian Sokutu.
Amid strained ties between Africa and the Trump administration, China has announced a new economic package that includes full zero-tariff access for 100 percent of African imports, effective from 1 May. It has also declared 2026 as "China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges" with some 600 events planned.
Comment: China is cleverly taking advantage of the downturn in US-Africa relations and especially the decision by the Trump administration to increase tariffs on goods imported from most African countries. Beijing announced the zero-tariff policy at the beginning of 2026 and the people-to-people exchanges early last year. These are not particularly new initiatives.
It should also be noted that China has had a trade surplus with Africa for the past 15 years and the size of that surplus has been growing steadily. A number of African countries have expressed concern over the size of their trade deficit with China. China's tariffs have not been the primary obstacle to importing more from Africa. Africa has to have what China wants and historically, with the exception of raw materials such as critical minerals, that has limited its exports to China.
Nevertheless, China is able to make an invidious comparison with the current state of US-Africa relations, and at minimal cost.
