Chinese exports to Africa are expanding rapidly, with Central African economies becoming increasingly important destinations for machinery, vehicles, electrical equipment and renewable-energy technology.
China’s exports to Africa have grown faster than its exports to all other regions over the past year and a half, increasing by 25.7 percent in 2025 and by an additional 19.3 percent year to date in 2026,
This figure was driven largely by demand for high-technology goods, semiconductors, electric vehicles, solar cells and lithium-ion batteries. In April, China’s exports of solar cells and panels to African countries rose by 83% year on year to 123,787 tons.
Trade between China and the six members of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad, was estimated at $10.2 billion during the first half of 2026.
Central African countries mainly export oil, minerals, timber and other raw materials to China, while Chinese companies supply consumer goods, industrial equipment, automobiles, construction machinery and electrical products. Oil exporters such as Congo, Gabon, Chad and Equatorial Guinea contributed to a Chinese trade surplus with the CEMAC bloc of nearly $2 billion during the period.
Cameroon is eligible for China’s duty-free scheme for African states maintaining diplomatic relations with Beijing, potentially giving Cameroonian exporters improved access to a consumer market estimated at $1.4 billion.
China remains a major destination for Congolese copper and cobalt, which are used in electricity networks, batteries and clean-energy technologies. At the same time, the DRC is receiving increasing volumes of Chinese electronics, machinery, automobiles and plastics, a pattern also observed in Angola and South Africa.
