US counters China as Beijing’s ‘shock wave’ hits African economies
The U.S. State Department is criticizing China's trade practices in Africa, citing a massive trade imbalance and economic coercion. Officials argue that Chinese state-subsidized exports are undermining local African manufacturing and creating unsustainable debt.
Why it matters
This reflects the intensifying geopolitical competition between the U.S. and China for economic influence and resource access in emerging markets.
JOHANNESBURG: A top State Department official has hit out at China for what analysts are calling "the China shock wave" effect now crippling African economies. African manufacturing is reportedly being battered by a surge of Chinese imports. It’s a triple whammy — China takes raw materials, including critical minerals, from the continent and floods Africa with state-subsidized products. And Beijing isn’t importing anywhere near an equal amount of African products. The China Global South Project reported that in 2025, Chinese exports to Africa hit $225 billion in value, whereas imports from Africa were roughly only half that — $123 billion. PUTIN USING AFRICA AS ‘PURSE’ FOR UKRAINE WAR WHILE US FACES ‘INTELLIGENCE BLACK HOLE’: COMMANDER Now the Trump administration aims to change this imbalance — and create opportunities for American businesses.
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