China is trying to win over Africa in the global trade war

From The Economist

Total trade between China and Africa was worth $296bn in 2024. Yet the value of what China exported west ($179bn) was much higher than what Africa sent east ($117bn). This year, partly as a result of the state support China is giving to its factories to boost the domestic economy, Chinese exports to the continent are on track to be 12% higher. African countries have long asked Beijing to make it easier to trade the other way, too. Many will have welcomed China’s announcement on June 12th that it will grant duty-free access to products from every African country except Eswatini, a tiny kingdom that recognises Taiwan.

In 2003 just 18 of Africa’s then 53 countries traded more with China than they did with America. Two decades later that is the case for 52 of Africa’s 54 states. The vast majority of this trade is in raw materials.