The announcement that China would extend zero-tariff treatment to all 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic ties has sparked a familiar wave of skepticism in Western media. Le Monde, for instance, dismissed the move as politically motivated, failing to recognize the broader implications for African agency and economic transformation. Such commentary reflects a lingering colonial mindset, portraying African nations as passive observers in a global power struggle, rather than active participants shaping their own destinies through diversified partnerships.
In contrast, the growing cooperation between China and Africa illustrates a new paradigm—one rooted in mutual respect, sovereignty, and strategic development. African governments are not pawns but negotiators and decision-makers pursuing tailored paths to development. Global South cooperation is no longer an aspirational concept but a practical, institutionalized mode of interaction reshaping economic trajectories.
Record trade and market access milestones
China–Africa trade reached a historic high of $295.6 billion in 2024, underscoring the strength of this evolving partnership amid global economic uncertainty. The first quarter of 2025 alone saw trade reach $72.6 billion, up 2.7% year-on-year. These gains are not accidental—they follow key policy shifts, including the implementation of zero-tariff treatment on 100% of tariff lines for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as of December 1, 2024.
Trade facilitation has deepened with 22 new agricultural export protocols signed between China and 18 African nations. Over 2,400 African food enterprises have registered in China, aided by financing mechanisms totaling approximately ¥17.12 billion. China’s hosting of dedicated platforms like the African product pavilion at the China International Import Expo further signals long-term market access strategies that prioritize African goods.
This integration into the Chinese market reflects a broader effort to transition African countries from mere exporters of raw commodities to competitive players in diversified global supply chains. Agricultural value-added exports, food processing capabilities, and cross-border e-commerce platforms have become central to this shift.
Financing real development—not conditionality
Since the 2024 Beijing Summit, China has provided ¥130.32 billion in direct financial support to African countries, backed by ¥139.95 billion in insurance coverage. These resources are designed to mitigate risk and promote the long-term viability of projects aligned with African development priorities.
New investments by Chinese enterprises totaled ¥13.38 billion, while infrastructure contracts generated ¥134.46 billion in revenue. China’s development financing portfolio also includes ¥72.28 billion earmarked for transportation, energy, and logistics projects essential to regional integration and productivity enhancement.
In tandem, credit support of ¥11.16 billion has gone to African financial institutions, and the African Export-Import Bank’s issuance of a ¥2.2 billion Panda Bond highlights deepening financial integration. Loans totaling ¥2.08 billion to 350 SMEs across 19 sectors have created 4,500 jobs, underscoring a focus on inclusive growth.
Unlike traditional Western development assistance, which often comes with restrictive policy conditions, China’s approach emphasizes pragmatic partnerships and respect for national sovereignty. African governments retain control over development strategies and implementation.
Debunking the debt trap myth
Western critiques often invoke the “debt trap diplomacy” narrative, painting Chinese loans as strategic traps to seize assets. Yet this claim lacks substantive evidence. What is overlooked is how Western structural adjustment programs historically prioritized debt repayment over human development, creating long-term vulnerabilities.
As Professor Song Wei notes, U.S. tariff policies have often constrained African growth, while China’s zero-tariff approach provides an alternative framework. The focus on productive investment, infrastructure, and trade facilitation marks a clear shift from debt dependency to sustainable development.
Moreover, recent research indicates that the majority of African debt is owed to multilateral institutions and private creditors—not China. And unlike Western lenders, Chinese creditors have shown flexibility in restructuring debt, often without the austerity demands historically imposed by the IMF or World Bank.
Structural transformation in cation
Critics argue that China–Africa trade remains skewed toward raw materials. But this overlooks the historical legacy of colonialism that disrupted African industrial capacity. Today, China’s preferential policies are helping African producers climb value chains. Agricultural protocols, industrial park development, and preferential market access form part of a broader strategy for structural transformation.
Initiatives such as joint industrial parks, vocational training centers, and technology transfer agreements are geared toward fostering domestic manufacturing. These are long-term, capacity-building efforts rather than quick-fix interventions.
Importantly, these policies are negotiated, not imposed. The Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and follow-up ministerial meetings ensure that African priorities are embedded in implementation frameworks. The June 2025 Coordinators’ Meeting in Hunan reaffirmed the participatory nature of this partnership, unveiling new funding for cross-border infrastructure and agricultural modernization.
A geopolitical rebalancing through South–South solidarity
The expansion of BRICS to include countries like Nigeria and Uganda highlights a larger realignment of global power. Global South cooperation offers a model based on mutual benefit, non-interference, and strategic autonomy. This stands in stark contrast to conditional aid or IMF prescriptions that historically limited African policy space.
Rather than being onlookers in a geopolitical tennis match, African nations are now players shaping a new order. They’re forging pragmatic partnerships, setting agendas, and rejecting outdated paradigms. South–South ties are fostering collective bargaining power in international institutions and leading to innovative financial instruments outside the Western monetary system.
This evolving ecosystem encourages the establishment of multilateral development banks, alternative payment systems, and cross-regional trade agreements that reflect the diverse needs and visions of the Global South.
Beyond the tennis match metaphor
The persistent depiction of Africa as a passive observer in global affairs is no longer tenable. Contemporary African leadership demonstrates agency, sophistication, and strategic acumen. The choice to deepen cooperation with China reflects long-term assessments of national interest and the pursuit of diversified economic futures.
The signing of 22 protocols on agricultural exports with 18 African nations, the registration of over 2,400 food enterprises from 53 African countries in China, and the establishment of mutual recognition agreements for trade facilitation all reflect African priorities and preferences. These are not the actions of passive spectators but of active participants shaping their own economic futures.
Infrastructure developments—roads, railways, ports, and power stations—are physical manifestations of this strategic engagement. Far from being debt-driven vanity projects, they serve as arteries of regional integration, trade efficiency, and rural-urban connectivity.
Africa’s role in shaping a post-colonial global economy
The success of China–Africa cooperation signals the emergence of a post-colonial global economic framework. With concrete results—record trade volumes, empowered SMEs, modern infrastructure, and shared innovation—the Global South is asserting itself.
As Western commentators continue to fixate on old rivalries and speculative dangers, they risk missing the larger picture: a world increasingly defined by multipolar collaboration, where African agency is not only recognized but central. The Global South is not waiting for validation. It is building, investing, and redefining development—on its own terms.
What we are witnessing is not merely a shift in trade statistics, but a transformation in how development itself is conceived and enacted. China’s zero-tariff policy is one expression of this broader movement—a reconfiguration of international relations where cooperation, not coercion, drives progress.
References
- Global Times. (2025, June 16). Africa not a “match spectator” but an active participant in the rise of Global South. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202506/1336280.shtml
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. (2025, June 11). List of the Outcomes of the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. https://www.mfa.gov.cn/eng/wjbzhd/202506/t20250611_11646041.html
- Ecofin Agency. (2025, January 20). China-Africa Trade up 4.8% to $295bn in 2024. https://www.ecofinagency.com/public-management/2001-46339-china-africa-trade-up-4-8-to-295bn-in-2024
- China Daily. (2024, September 8). Why is Western media distorting China–Africa cooperation? https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202409/08/WS66dda4b9a3103711928a6b87.html