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For more than two decades, cooperation between China and Africa has established itself as one of the most dynamic drivers of globalization. Initially focused on roads, ports and raw materials, it is today transforming into a more diversified partnership, focused on technology, innovation and sustainable development. At a time when Beijing and African capitals are strengthening their ties, this alliance is reshaping the economic balance of the Global South and opening new perspectives for hundreds of millions of Africans.
Colorful stands, entrepreneurs from all over the African continent, agreements signed in succession… At the 4th China-Africa Economic and Trade Exhibition, organized in June 2025 in Changsha, Sino-African cooperation showed a new face: more technological, more inclusive and more ambitious.
Nearly 4,700 Chinese and African companies participated, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attracting more than 30,000 professionals. From agri-food to artificial intelligence, cooperation now extends well beyond traditional infrastructures.
Bilateral trade reached nearly $300 billion in 2024, a record. Long centered on African raw materials and the construction of infrastructure by China, this relationship is now entering a new phase: that of added value.
Trade is moving towards the industrial, digital, e-commerce and technological services sectors. African products, Ethiopian coffee, Kenyan avocados, Ivorian cocoa are finding a growing place on the Chinese market. In return, China is increasing investments in local processing and training African technicians on site.
Beijing has also extended its policy of zero customs tariffs to all products from the least developed African countries, a gesture hailed as a concrete lever to boost African exports.
Visible benefits for local populations
On the continent, Sino-African cooperation is no longer limited to major projects. It results in jobs created, local businesses supported and technical training that directly benefits populations.
In East Africa, industrial zones co-financed by China now host small and medium-sized local businesses. In West Africa, the modernization of ports and railways is making regional trade more fluid. In several countries, joint agricultural projects encourage local processing rather than raw export.
Beijing puts forward the idea of a “community with a shared future”, based on Southern solidarity and mutual benefit. “Our goal is not just trade, but common development,” a Chinese representative said at the Changsha forum.
A promising future, provided a balanced partnership
The future of this cooperation looks promising, but it rests on a fragile balance. The coming years should see five priority areas emerge: industrialization, innovation, green economy, opening of markets and human exchanges.
African modernization is now at the heart of Chinese discourse. Beijing promises to share its experience in the fight against poverty, training and infrastructure management. In return, African countries occupy a growing place in China’s strategy of opening to the global South.
But several challenges remain. African states will need to strengthen their negotiating capacities to guarantee a truly balanced partnership, ensure technology transfer and ensure that projects directly benefit local populations.
In twenty years, China has become Africa’s leading trading partner. Today, the challenge is to move from cooperation of numbers to cooperation of people.
The challenge is no longer just to exchange goods, but to build together sustainable economic models, anchored in local realities and respectful of human and environmental needs.
If this transformation succeeds, Sino-African cooperation could well become one of the pillars of the development of the Global South, symbolizing a reinvented globalization: fairer, greener and truly shared.
Key figures of Sino-African cooperation:
- $300 billion: volume of Sino-African trade in 2024 (historic record)
- 4,700 Chinese and African companies present at the 4th Changsha Expo
- 30,000 professionals gathered during the event
- 100% of products from least developed African countries now exempt from customs duties to China
- 1st trading partner of Africa since 2009
- More than 50 African countries participate in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)