The Chinese yuan is steadily gaining ground in Africa’s trade system as the continent’s economic ties with Beijing deepen, challenging the long-standing dominance of the U.S. dollar in select cross-border transactions.
The shift is being driven by rapidly growing China-Africa trade, expanding payment infrastructure, and Beijing’s efforts to boost imports from the continent through tariff reductions and market access initiatives.
According to China’s General Administration of Customs, bilateral trade rose 17.7% in 2025 to a record $348.05 billion, up from $295.6 billion in 2024.
Chinese exports to Africa climbed 25.8% to $225.03 billion, while imports from the continent increased 5.4% to $123.02 billion, reinforcing China’s position as Africa’s largest trading partner.
With Beijing extending tariff-free access to exports from 53 African countries, trade experts believe China-Africa commerce could approach the $400 billion mark by the end of 2026, driven by stronger African exports, deeper economic integration, and expanding trade facilitation measures.
