ADDIS ABABA, April 23 (Xinhua) — The China-Africa partnership and China’s promise for mutually beneficial development are powering Africa’s development, as China’s continued commitment to openness remains both timely and significant for the continent’s resilience amid global economic turbulence, a senior United Nations (UN) official has said.
Melaku Geboye, coordinator of the African Trade Policy Center at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), made the remarks during a high-level promotion symposium on the ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE) and the ninth Hongqiao International Economic Forum (HQF) on Tuesday at the African Union headquarters in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.
The UNECA official noted Africa’s ongoing efforts to build resilience through increased intra-African trade and continental integration to withstand mounting global uncertainties, including dwindling multilateralism and climate-induced disasters.
As Africa works to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), he underscored that the role of trusted partners remains critical, with the China-Africa partnership demonstrating “impressive resilience” in recent years.
“The system of global economic governance that has been with us for about eight decades is coming under significant strain. Established bilateral relations are being re-examined, and old certainties are being questioned,” Geboye said.
He said that, in the face of global challenges, China’s continued commitment to openness is both “timely and significant” for Africa, while emphasizing the “enduring and growing importance of the China-Africa partnership and its promise for mutually beneficial development and ensured prosperity.”
The official, in particular, underlined China’s decision to grant zero-tariff treatment to products from 53 African countries that maintain diplomatic relations with it as the latest manifestation and “important pillar” of the two sides’ cooperation.
According to data released by China’s General Administration of Customs, China-Africa trade reached 348 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, up 17.7 percent year on year and hitting a new record high. Of this total, China’s imports from Africa amounted to 123 billion dollars, an increase of 5.4 percent year on year.
Geboye also underscored the transformative potential of the AfCFTA, noting that by creating a single continental market of over 1.4 billion people, the free trade pact can support industrialization, regional value chains, and export diversification.
Meanwhile, he emphasized the importance of international platforms, such as the CIIE and the HQF, adding that Africa’s participation in these platforms will translate into tangible and measurable development outcomes. ■
