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China-Africa relations
ChinaDiplomacy

China-Africa trade rises in first quarter, though coming months may see a flattening

  • Bilateral trade rose 23 per cent to US$64.8 billion, compared to the same period in 2021, boosted by African exports of minerals and metals
  • But pandemic-related disruptions, like the lockdown in Shanghai, could limit activity in months ahead, analysts say

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An artisanal miner works at Tilwizembe, a former industrial copper-cobalt mine, near Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Trade between China and Africa was robust in the first quarter, mainly because of African exports of minerals and rare earth metals. Photo: Reuters
Jevans Nyabiage
Trade between China and Africa rose 23 per cent to US$64.8 billion in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, boosted by increased imports of minerals and metals from the continent.
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Chinese imports from Africa increased by 29.3 per cent to US$29.7 billion while exports to Africa rose by 18.2 per cent to US$35.16 billion during the first three months of 2022, according to China’s General Administration of Customs data.

Containers that toppled at a storage facility in Durban, South Africa, on April 12, following heavy rains and winds. The port city, where nearly a fifth of Africa-China trade passes through, shut down because of flooding. Photo: AFP
Containers that toppled at a storage facility in Durban, South Africa, on April 12, following heavy rains and winds. The port city, where nearly a fifth of Africa-China trade passes through, shut down because of flooding. Photo: AFP
But pandemic-related supply chain disruptions from lockdowns in Shanghai and closure of Chinese ports may lessen trade numbers for subsequent quarters, analysts said.
Similarly, the recent flood-related shutdown of the Port of Durban in South Africa, where nearly a fifth of Africa-China trade passes through – especially minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia – could hurt cargo flow as well.

In a Twitter post, the China Mission to the African Union boasted that “even under the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, China-Africa trade has been resilient … which has surpassed the total value of US-Africa trade for 2021.”

In the quarter, South Africa was the continent’s biggest trading partner with China, trading goods worth US$12.3 billion, which was a 13.5 per cent growth year on year. China’s imports, worth US$7 billion, consisted mainly of minerals and metals.

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