If there was any doubt about who’s rolling out the red carpet for Africa these days, it was swept away by the sheer pageantry of the China–Africa Economic & Trade Expo in Changsha. From dancing lions to drone displays, Beijing pulled out all the stops — and African governments, exporters, and investors showed up in droves. This was not your average business fair. This was diplomacy with snacks and spreadsheets.
The Expo, now in its fourth edition, has become a high-octane fixture on the Beijing–Africa calendar. More than 10,000 participants from over 50 African countries flew in, with some arriving on special charter flights sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. Their mission? Secure trade deals, woo investors, and prove that Africa’s economic future has an eastern compass.
At the centre of it all was Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who called China “our number one trade and development partner.” He wasn’t exaggerating. Trade between China and Africa hit over $280 billion in 2024 — a tenfold increase from two decades ago. With the West bogged down in bureaucracy and conditionalities, many African leaders are increasingly looking east for faster, more flexible partnerships.
And China is happy to oblige.
This year’s expo featured everything from Chinese electric motorcycles ready to hit African roads, to African coffee beans being sampled by the tonne. Deals worth more than $20 billion were signed during the event — in sectors spanning agriculture, infrastructure, green energy, logistics, and tech. Rwandan agritech startups found Chinese partners willing to pilot drone-based irrigation systems. Ghanaian cocoa producers negotiated direct supply agreements with Shanghai-based distributors. And a Kenyan university signed a joint research pact with a Chinese AI firm.
But while deals were being inked, something more strategic was taking shape. China used the event to showcase its vision for “dual industrialisation”: moving some of its overcapacity industries — especially in textiles, steel, and light manufacturing — to Africa, where labour costs are lower and markets are growing. It’s a model that, if executed with local interest at heart, could help African economies climb the value chain.
Still, not everyone’s buying the hype wholesale.
Critics argue that China’s no-strings-attached approach can empower poor governance. Some African observers warn that while Chinese finance builds infrastructure quickly, it can also deepen debt dependence and undercut local enterprise. Others raise environmental concerns, particularly in sectors like mining and construction, where regulations can be skirted or conveniently reinterpreted.
Yet even those wary of Beijing’s footprint concede one thing: China shows up. Not just at glitzy expos, but with cargo ships, industrial parks, technical institutes, and cold hard cash.
“China does deals,” said Ayanda Mbeki, a South African business journalist covering the expo. “The West does workshops. That’s the difference.”
What also sets China apart is its attention to optics and cultural diplomacy. At the expo’s closing gala, delegates were treated to a blend of African drumming and Chinese opera. Translations were swift, protocol was precise, and the snacks were a hit — Nigerian jollof rice served next to Sichuan dumplings in an unmistakable metaphor of merging interests.
The real takeaway, however, was strategic alignment. China wants what Africa has — raw materials, markets, and political allies on the global stage. Africa wants what China offers — financing, infrastructure, and a chance to grow on its own terms.
Whether that relationship remains mutually beneficial will depend on how the fine print of those expo deals plays out in real economies and real communities. Will Chinese factories in Ethiopia raise local wages or simply replicate low-wage models? Will African agricultural exports gain true market access or be subject to new technical barriers? And will this trade relationship evolve into something deeper — or remain a transactional romance dressed in silk and cement?
For now, the energy is high, and the direction is clear: China is betting big on Africa. And Africa, increasingly, is betting back.
As the curtains fell on Changsha’s trade show extravaganza, one Kenyan official was overheard saying: “We came for contracts, but we also got connections.” In the world of global trade, that’s no small thing.
