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China-Africa relations

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China-Africa relations
Breaking news, analysis and opinion on relations between China and countries in Africa, covering trade, resources and the Belt and Road Initiative.
Open Questions series

Top shipbuilding voice Li Yanqing rebukes Washington’s ‘China threat’ narrative

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Top shipbuilding voice Li Yanqing rebukes Washington’s ‘China threat’ narrative

7
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

videocam
15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

7
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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18
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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93
Illustration: Henry Wong
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
US representatives were out in force at the recent African Mining Indaba in Cape Town. Photo: AFP
South Africa

Why US money may not be enough to break China’s rare earths dominance

Washington aims to spend billions in Africa to build up a strategic reserve of key minerals, but analysts warn it may not be so simple.

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Benin

Why Beijing’s US$4.5 billion Niger-Benin oil pipeline is under fire from rebels

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Angola

Chinese embassy warns citizens not to fall foul of Angola immigration crackdown

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Africa

Opinion | China’s zero-tariff offer to Africa is a game changer

In contrast to Western proposals that come with strings attached, China has turned its own market into the main instrument of partnership.

A volunteer grinds coffee beans with children during a hands-on experience session at the Ethiopian pavilion of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Promotion Innovation Demonstration Park in Changsha, Hunan province on August 30, 2024. Photo: Xinhua
Aerospace Information Research Institute (China)

How China’s ‘gifting’ of space infrastructure is a diplomatic tool in Africa

Analysts say Beijing is gifting space infrastructure as a form of soft power on the continent.

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Zimbabwe

China helps Zimbabwe grow US$1.2 billion tobacco crop amid debt, health concerns

As Zimbabwe’s largest agricultural export and a primary foreign currency earner, tobacco dominates its trade with Beijing.

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Africa

China says it won’t seek reciprocity with South Africa on zero-tariff policy

Envoy makes the pledge as Beijing prepares to roll out tax-free access to the Chinese market for goods from 53 African nations.

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South African exports to China include fruit, grains, wine, rooibos tea and minerals. Photo: China News Service via Getty Images
Kenya

Why China’s fast turnaround gives its projects an edge in Kenya over the West

A Kenyan investment agency says most projects signed off in 2025, including a steel processing plant were either operational or being built.

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Africa

How a punt on an unknown Chinese truck manufacturer paid off in South Africa

Chinese commercial truck builder FAW now outsells major Western and Japanese brands including Toyota, Daimler and Isuzu.

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China's military weapons

How a ‘military vacuum’ in West and Central Africa opened new markets for China

Beijing has increased engagement with countries in the Sahel following the French military exit, and with Russian weapons in short supply.

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People gather in support of a coup in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in 2022. A wave of military coups across the Sahel has ended traditional alliances and security frameworks. Photo: Reuters
Africa

African Union: youth anger mounts over corruption, lack of accountability

Africa has the youngest population in the world, with more than 400 million people aged 15 to 35 years old – set to double by 2050.

A general view of flags of African Union member states inside the African Union Headquarters ahead of the opening of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Saturday. Photo: AFP
Zambia

As China seeks to globalise the yuan, it finds a new vehicle in Africa

Africa Finance Corporation executive says entering Chinese capital markets is a ‘natural evolution’.

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Libya

China sends envoy to Libya after embassy shuttered for more than a decade

Ma Xueliang has been appointed as the new ambassador in Tripoli as Beijing seeks to ‘keep a foot in the door’ despite the volatility.

Africa

How China’s plan to internationalise yuan has quietly taken a step forward

Decision to repay loans and import costs directly to China in Chinese currency is practical rather than political, experts say.

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Zambia is collecting taxes and royalties from Chinese mining firms in yuan, and repaying loans and import costs back to Beijing in the same currency. Photo: AP
China economy

Opinion | China’s slowing overseas investment reflects caution, not retreat

Amid rising protectionism and increased pushback in advanced economies, Beijing is strategically recalibrating its investments abroad.

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A container is lifted by a crane backdropped by the construction of the Chinese-funded mega port, in Chancay, Peru, on October 29, 2024. Photo: AP
Africa

Chinese loans to Africa down by nearly 50 per cent as priorities shift

Report says the decline highlights a ‘more selective phase of engagement’ by Beijing.

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United States

China widens trade gap with Africa to record US$102 billion amid US pressure

Data points to growing African trade deficit as Trump imposes tariffs, and African demand for manufactured goods and commodity price spikes.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Why so many states reject bloc rivalry to choose partnership with China

It’s a calculated choice to keep growth, infrastructure momentum and policy space alive in a world that punishes the economically exposed.

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African Union Commission chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf welcomes Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 8. Photo: Handout from African Union via EPA
China trade

China’s zero-tariff gambit: why Beijing is slashing duties as Trump raises them

China’s average effective tariff rate estimated to be as low as 1.3 per cent in 2025, helping it secure raw materials and build soft power.

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Belt and Road Initiative

China ramps up Belt and Road deals amid US competition

A 75 per cent boom in China’s Belt and Road Initiative last year will help lock in resources for the energy transition and AI rush, as well as extending the country’s global reach.

Belt and Road Initiative

US trade war? China had bigger plans in 2025 as ‘belt and road’ deals surged

China’s global infrastructure strategy logged a record US$213 billion of new deals in 2025, as metals projects in Central Asia soared, report finds.

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Security guards patrol a lithium project in Zimbabwe. China’s engagement in metals and mining projects surged last year, according to a report by the Griffith Asia Institute. Photo: EPA-EFE
Tanzania

How China is ramping up Africa charm offensive to boost cultural ties, influence

Beijing dedicates 2026 to ‘cultural and social diplomacy’ across the continent, with 600 activities aimed at fostering strong friendships.

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A volunteer grinds coffee beans with children at a China-Africa economic and trade cooperation promotion park, in China’s Hunan province last August. Photo: Xinhua
United States

Why ‘monumental’ China duty-free trade deal has Kenya wanting more

Preliminary ‘early harvest’ framework grants zero-duty entry to over 98 per cent of Kenyan exports, as Nairobi pushes for 100 per cent access.

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Wang Yi

China’s Wang Yi cites ‘severe risks’ after Somalia dropped from Africa itinerary

In a call with the Somali foreign minister, China’s top envoy reiterates Beijing’s support for Somalia’s territorial integrity.

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Africa

China urges Tanzania to back multilateralism, will ‘stand together’ with Africa

Top diplomat Wang Yi also reaffirms support for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (second from left) poses with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan (second from right), Tanzanian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo (right) and China’s ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian (left) at the State House in Dar es Salaam on Saturday. Photo: AFP / State House Tanzania
Tanzania

China FM Wang Yi opens Africa tour with united call for rules-based order

In Ethiopia, Wang joins African Union leader Mahmoud Ali Youssouf in voicing concerns over US raid on Venezuela.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, chairman of the African Union Commission, in Addis Ababa on Thursday. Photo: EPA
Uganda

Washington lines up health deals as US and China vie for access to Africa

Signatories must guarantee that genetic sequence data and samples from potential outbreaks are shared with the US within 5 days of detection.

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Israel

China hits out at ‘support for separatists’ after Israel recognises Somaliland

Eritrea asks Beijing to raise issue at the UN, saying it should ‘shoulder its moral responsibilities’ while drawing parallels with Taiwan.

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