The surge in Asian shipments is a response to the removal of American customs barriers, which forces Chinese manufacturers to offload their production surpluses onto emerging markets. At the same time, the increase in the value of African cargo purchased by the Asian giant is due to the rise in global crude oil and mineral resource prices.

The dynamism of the cross-flows conceals a structural widening of the balance of payments deficit to the detriment of African nations. Chinese deliveries to the continent jumped by 26.2% to reach $130.01 billion between January and June, driven by industrial machinery, electronics, and green technologies. In return, imports of raw materials from Africa increased by 20.3%, totaling $73.53 billion. The imbalance has resulted in a historic trade deficit of $56.48 billion for African countries over six months, reviving concerns about the potential installation of local anti-dumping barriers to protect domestic production units.

The extension of the "Zero Tariff" customs policy, generalized on May 1, 2026, to all African nations with diplomatic relations with Beijing, has struggled to reverse the trajectory of trade. Analysts at Afreximbank note that 94.5% of the continent's goods already entered the Chinese market duty-free. The elimination of taxes does not address the intrinsic weakness of local industrial capacities or the lack of mineral refining units. A shift towards a balanced trade relationship remains conditional on the deployment of integrated logistics corridors, networks of refrigerated warehouses, and export financing tools denominated in yuan.


Asaba

Tags: commerce international chine afrique economie relations commerciales balance de paiement exportations importations politique douaniere