In the first five months of this year, China-Africa trade reached 963.21 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12.4%. Notably, China’s exports of ships and marine engineering equipment to Africa surged by 41.6%. What shipping forces are driving the sustained growth of China-Africa trade?
Recently, COSCO SHIPPING’s “Southeast Africa Direct Express” weekly service departed from Qingdao Port, Shandong, carrying containers of Sentury Tire. This route, which reduces transit time from China to Southeast Africa from 40 to 20 days, epitomizes the “maritime golden channel” of China-Africa trade. According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China-Africa trade in the first five months of this year hit a record high of 963.21 billion yuan, up 12.4% year-on-year. During the same period, China’s exports of ships and marine engineering equipment, construction machinery, and electric motors and generators to Africa grew by 41.6%, 58.5%, and 51.1%, respectively, supporting economic development and livelihood improvements in African countries. Additionally, major shipping companies have launched new China-Africa routes to facilitate trade growth. China’s shipping industry is building a “maritime expressway” for economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa, with massive vessels serving as the link.
**Rising China-Africa Trade: Driven by Policy Dividends and Infrastructure Demand**
Since the launch of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2000, China-Africa economic and trade relations have grown exponentially, with continuous breakthroughs in scale, depth, and scope. China has remained Africa’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, with trade volumes repeatedly setting new records. Customs data shows that in 2024, bilateral trade reached $295.563 billion, up 4.8% year-on-year (see Figure 1). At this growth rate, China’s exports to Africa are expected to surpass those of the U.S. within four to five years.
The China-Africa Trade Index, compiled by Chinese customs, has risen steadily since its base value of 100 points at FOCAC’s inception, surpassing 1,000 points in 2023 and reaching 1,056.53 points in 2024—a vivid testament to the robust growth of China-Africa trade.
In the first five months of this year, China-Africa trade totaled 963.21 billion yuan, up 12.4% year-on-year, setting a new historical high for the period. Exports to Africa reached 599.57 billion yuan (up 20.2%), while imports from Africa stood at 363.64 billion yuan (up 1.6%), demonstrating strong resilience in two-way trade. Agricultural trade between China and Africa has also grown steadily, surpassing 70 billion yuan for the first time in 2024. Starting December 1, 2024, China implemented zero-tariff treatment for all products from 33 least-developed African countries, opening broader access for high-quality African agricultural products in the Chinese market. In the first five months of 2025, China imported 15.83 billion yuan worth of agricultural products from Africa, with notable increases in coffee (up 145.7%), cocoa beans (up 88.6%), and frozen strawberries (up 82%), accounting for 18.4%, 65.4%, and 84.8% of China’s total imports in these categories, respectively. Meanwhile, China’s exports of pesticide formulations and agricultural machinery to Africa grew by 12% and 41%, respectively, supporting Africa’s agricultural modernization with technology and equipment.
Infrastructure and oil and gas cooperation have also yielded significant results. Since 2022, Africa has remained the top market for China’s overseas contracted engineering goods exports. In the first five months of 2025, China exported 12.59 billion yuan worth of goods to Africa under contracted projects, up 46.5% year-on-year, injecting strong momentum into Africa’s infrastructure development.
In oil and gas exploration, progress has been made in project implementation, technology transfer, and regional coordination. In North Africa, Chinese companies have achieved breakthroughs. Algeria became a focal point for China-Africa oil and gas cooperation in the first half of the year, with Zhongman Petroleum and Natural Gas Group winning the BR2024 tender on June 17, securing exploration and development rights for the Zerafa II block—the first entry of a Chinese company into Algeria’s oil and gas exploration market. Meanwhile, Intercontinental Oil and Gas Co., Ltd. received prequalification certification from Algeria’s national oil and gas authority on June 11, enabling it to bid for six high-potential onshore blocks in the country’s 2024 tender, laying the groundwork for future high-quality asset acquisitions. These moves demonstrate Chinese companies’ growing presence in North Africa’s energy sector through technological and financial strength.
In West Africa, cooperation has focused on both traditional oil and gas and green energy. In Gabon, CNOOC is advancing offshore natural gas projects, with its wholly owned gas block boasting proven reserves of 317 billion cubic meters. The company plans to invest $2 billion in a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) vessel, with an annual production capacity of about 2.45 million tons. In Nigeria, the Dangote Refinery, built by China National Chemical Engineering Group, began operations in March 2025. With an annual capacity of 35 million tons, Africa’s largest refinery has transformed Nigeria from a net importer to a net exporter of refined oil, creating over 50,000 jobs and setting a benchmark for Chinese refining technology exports.
In East Africa, the Coral South FLNG project in Mozambique, in which China National Petroleum Corporation participates, celebrated its 100th LNG shipment, marking a new phase in operations. Since its launch in June 2022, the project’s first phase has sold 7.2 million tons of LNG, setting new industry standards in deep-sea gas exploration, liquefaction technology, and environmental sustainability.
Additionally, the high-profile Simandou iron ore project is progressing smoothly, requiring continuous improvements in rail and port infrastructure. These factors are driving demand for various ships and marine engineering equipment in Africa.
**Ship and Marine Engineering Exports to Africa: Strong Support for Joint Projects**
China’s ship exports have grown rapidly in recent years, with Africa as a key market. According to the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, China exported $31.87 billion worth of ships in 2023, up 21.4% year-on-year, including $6 billion to Africa (up 70%). In 2024, exports to Africa reached $9.864 billion (up 64.4%), and growth remained strong in the first five months of 2025 (up 41.6%). The *Shipping Exchange Gazette* noted several highlights in ship and marine engineering exports to Africa in the first half of the year, showcasing China’s shipbuilding prowess.
One example is the delivery of the world’s largest self-unloading bulk carrier, the *Manhadi*, modified by Chengxi Shipyard Co., Ltd. for a Liberian owner. With an unloading efficiency of 6,500 tons per hour (peaking at 7,000 tons), the vessel was delivered on May 23, 2025, and will serve African ore transport.
Another milestone was the delivery of the world’s first FPSO equipped with carbon capture and storage (CCS), the *AGOGO FPSO*. Modified by COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Shanghai), the vessel completed the installation of 10 upper modules weighing over 15,000 tons and laid more than 1 million meters of cables, finishing one month ahead of schedule—a record for similar FPSO modifications. Delivered to Malaysia’s Yinson in April, the FPSO will serve Angola’s Block 15/06 West Hub starting September 2025, processing 120,000 barrels of crude daily with a storage capacity of 1.6 million barrels.
Fujian Province exported numerous workboats to Africa in the first half of the year. In February, five workboats built by Fujian Yihe Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (Fujian Yihe) were shipped to Guinea via the semi-submersible vessel *Swan*. A month later, 13 more workboats—including six flat barges, five tugboats, one floating crane, and one supply vessel—were loaded onto the world’s third-largest semi-submersible, *Huarui Long*, departing from Ningde Port for Guinea. The 13 vessels, worth approximately 250 million yuan, marked China’s largest single ship export batch to Africa in 2025. Fujian Yihe Vice President Lin Yuliang noted that the newly built 100-ton floating crane barge was the first of its kind in China, with 100% domestic content and advantages in fast lifting and easy maintenance. He added that since 2023, Fujian Yihe has exported at least 33 workboats to Africa in five batches, primarily for major construction, port, and offshore projects. Another eight workboats are scheduled for delivery to Guinea soon.
Customs data shows Fujian’s ship exports to Africa reached 5.88 billion yuan in 2024, up 318.59% year-on-year. Industry sources told the *Shipping Exchange Gazette* that the surge may be linked to the Simandou iron ore project in Guinea (one of the world’s largest undeveloped iron ore deposits). Once operational, the project is
