Mozambican President Daniel Francisco Chapo's visit to China from April 16 to 22 reflects evolving dynamics in China-Africa relations.

Trade growth remains important, but the focus is increasingly on how market access, investment and industrial cooperation can work together to support Africa's modernization.

The key question is whether such engagement can support progress in processing, logistics and skills development, and contribute to a new phase in China-Africa economic cooperation.

The latest trade figures show the scale and momentum of that relationship. According to Chinese customs data, China-Africa trade reached a record $348 billion in 2025, up 17.7 percent year-on-year.

China's exports to Africa stood at $225 billion, while its imports from Africa reached $123 billion. China has also continued to widen market access for African goods. Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced that from May 1 China will fully implement zero-tariff treatment for 53 African countries that have diplomatic ties with Beijing.

Higher-quality growth in China-Africa trade ties should be understood as a broader opportunity, not just larger volume. It means bringing more competitive African goods into the Chinese market, supporting more local processing in Africa, and creating more jobs and skills across the continent. That is in line with the vision of shared modernization advanced under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Mozambique is well placed to benefit from that opening. In 2024, bilateral trade between China and Mozambique reached $5.21 billion.

Since Dec 1, 2024, Mozambique has enjoyed zero-tariff treatment on all taxable exports to China. According to China's Ambassador Zheng Xuan, the policy helped Mozambique save about 140 million yuan ($20.5 million) by the end of 2025. With strengths in agriculture, fisheries, minerals, energy and Indian Ocean connectivity, Mozambique has clear scope to turn wider market access into more local processing and industrial investment.

China's push to move beyond trade volume alone is not confined to one country.

In February, South Africa signed a framework agreement with China, covering trade, investment, new energy and multilateral cooperation. South African officials say the agreement can help expand exports of agricultural products and high-value manufactured goods to China.

The task now is to turn wider preferential access into stronger productive capacity. That will require practical follow-through: smoother customs procedures, credible certification, stronger logistics, better trade finance and sustained investment in production capacity. For many African exporters, the challenge is not only gaining tariff-free access but turning that access into repeat business. Cold-chain logistics, testing and certification, warehousing, settlement services and reliable distribution channels all help determine whether a product can move from farm, factory or mine to the Chinese market on competitive terms.

This is where Chinese importers, logistics firms, e-commerce platforms and local African partners can make a practical difference.

South Africa already offers early evidence on the trade side. The first shipment of stone fruit to China in February showed how improved access can support agricultural upgrading and give exporters confidence to scale up.

South African officials have also highlighted opportunities in mining, renewable energy and technology, sectors where trade access and industrial cooperation can reinforce each other.

Investment tells the other half of the story. In November 2025, the SANY South Africa Industrial Park was officially completed in Johannesburg. According to the company, the 28,000-square-meter facility integrates manufacturing, logistics and talent development and is expected to produce 1,000 excavators annually.

Projects like this do not change trade patterns overnight, but they show how Chinese investment can support local manufacturing capacity, supplier development and longer-term industrial ecosystems.

The broader policy backing is already in place. The FOCAC Beijing Action Plan (2025-27) supports Africa's industrialization, mineral value-chain upgrading, special economic zones and the development of "Made in Africa" brands. It also encourages Chinese and African enterprises to strengthen industrial and supply-chain coordination. This way, China's market, capital and industrial experience are helping African countries build stronger productive capacity.

People-to-people ties matter as well. With 2026 designated as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, both sides have a fresh opportunity to deepen trust, strengthen business confidence and support the long horizons that industrial cooperation requires.

China-Africa economic relations are already among the most important partnerships in the Global South. The next step is to turn strong momentum into higher-quality growth through wider market access, more local processing, stronger logistics and deeper skills development.

If that momentum is sustained, China-Africa trade ties will become not only deeper, but stronger, more resilient and better anchored in long-term industrial development.

The Mozambican president's visit, Africa's economic partnership framework with China and the broader zero-tariff policy point in the same direction. China-Africa trade cooperation is moving onto a broader and more substantive footing. That is good news for China and Africa alike, and for a more open and inclusive world economy.

The author is a senior lecturer at the Kent Business School in the University of Kent, UK, and a research fellow at Xinhe Consulting.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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