Xinhua Headlines: From savanna to mega market, African goods gain popularity in China

* China had been Africa's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years by the end of 2024.

* A growing number of African products are entering the Chinese market.

* China imported 15.83 billion yuan worth of agricultural goods from Africa in the first five months of 2025.

CHANGSHA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- For Huang Zinan, an ideal day begins with a blooming Kenyan rose, the aroma of Ethiopian coffee brewing and Tanzanian fish gliding through her living room tank, a lifestyle she's striving to introduce to more Chinese households.

At the ongoing China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Huang, chairwoman of Hunan Xiyue International Trade Co., Ltd., unveiled her latest offerings, with three booths featuring fresh-cut roses and avocados from Kenya, alongside ornamental fish from Tanzania.

Her company is among thousands of firms from China and across Africa taking part in the expo, all aiming to bring the continent's goods to China's vast and increasingly globally minded consumer market.

Huang currently works with seven flower farms in Kenya, shipping freshly cut blooms to more than a dozen Chinese cities. Her imported avocados are also gaining traction, recently featured in a trial run at a popular fruit tea chain in Changsha.

"Kenyan flowers are known for their large blooms, rich variety, and long vase life, and they've become increasingly popular among Chinese consumers," Huang said. "As for avocados, the market potential in China is enormous. They appeal to health-conscious buyers and fit perfectly into beverages, salads, and fitness diets."

Huang's efforts have blossomed as the world's largest developing country continues to open its markets wider to Africa -- the continent with the largest number of developing nations -- fostering mutual growth amid rising global protectionism and a slowdown in traditional markets.

China had been Africa's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years by the end of 2024. China's total trade value with Africa increased from less than 100 billion yuan (about 14 billion U.S. dollars) in 2000 to 2.1 trillion yuan in 2024, registering an average annual growth rate of 14.2 percent.

EXPANDING PURCHASE LIST

Across the exhibition hall, the aroma of roasted Ethiopian coffee mingled with the pungency of Rwandan chili sauce. Vibrant colors filled every corner, offering visitors a sensory journey through Africa's rich soil, artisanal craftsmanship, and growing economic potential.

For Chahalane Houmadi Charif, director of Mayecha Corporation, a Comorian company specializing in clove, vanilla, and ylang-ylang essential oils, the journey to China proved rewarding.

Worried at first that his small business might be overlooked, Charif found unexpected support from the expo organizers, who helped him connect with interested Chinese companies and entrepreneurs.

One of them was Yang Daiyu, a businessman who operates a chain of traditional Chinese medicine clinics. Yang and Charif quickly reached a preliminary cooperation agreement.

"Our clinics focus on traditional Chinese massage and use around a tonne of therapeutic essential oils annually, so we're interested in sourcing plant-based oils from Africa," Yang said. "We hope the cooperation can also help bring our traditional Chinese massage to the African market."

"In Africa, we may not have the world's most advanced technology, but we are blessed with abundant natural resources. What we need is partnership," Charif said. "Win-win cooperation is the true path to a better life."

As China advances its high-level opening-up, a growing number of African products are entering the Chinese market, especially appealing to the country's more than 400 million middle-income consumers seeking organic, globally sourced goods.

China imported 15.83 billion yuan worth of agricultural goods from Africa in the first five months of 2025. Imports of coffee, cocoa beans and frozen strawberries surged by 145.7 percent, 88.6 percent, and 82 percent, respectively, according to Chinese customs data.

"Over the past few years, both the variety and volume of African imports have steadily increased," said Che Dong with Shandong-based Weihai Huatan Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. The company will soon receive its first batch of Tanzanian honey, about 10 tonnes, which will enter China duty-free and be sold in local stores.

"We started with wine, then expanded to coffee, honey, and we're now eyeing seafood," he said.

PROMOTION OF AFRICAN GOODS

Addressing the opening ceremony of the expo, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pledged China's efforts to further open up to Africa by signing more deals of economic partnerships and encouraging the import of more African goods.

Starting from last December, China gave zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines to all the least developed countries, including 33 countries in Africa, that have established diplomatic relations with China.

Ahead of the expo, China signaled its readiness to extend this policy to all 53 African nations with which it has diplomatic ties.

Apart from favorable tariffs, Chinese officials and companies are also going all-out to promote African products and boost their popularity among Chinese consumers.

In Hunan, a trailblazer in China-Africa cooperation, local authorities are combining offline engagement with e-commerce, a widely popular promotional approach in a country where 974 million people were shopping online by the end of 2024.

Over 200 African products, including food, daily necessities, and trendy cultural goods, are now featured in a shopping season campaign launched in April and running through June, according to the provincial department of commerce. The campaign is expected to reach millions of online consumers.

Wang Yaohua, chairman of Hunan Shea Biotechnology Co., Ltd., said China's manufacturing prowess also boosts the competitiveness of African products in the Chinese market.

His company purchases nearly 2 million yuan worth of plant and food ingredients, from ylang-ylang to shea butter, every year from Africa to produce a variety of products such as hand creams and facial masks.

"In Africa, there is mostly primary processing of plants," Wang said. "Our industrial strength, therefore, comes in handy to improve their market value."

Speaking about the future plans, Huang Zinan said she plans to expand into processing as well, turning avocados into cooking oil and flowers into essential oils and personal care products.

"Through us, I hope more Chinese consumers can come to know African products and better understand the continent," Huang added.

(Reporting by Cheng Lu, Jiang Wenxi, Xi Min, Zhang Yujie, Zhang Ge, Ruan Zhouwei, Liu Fangzhou, Wang Teng, Zhang Nan and Yao Yuan; video reporters: Ding Chunyu, Zhang Nan, Dai Bin, Hu Hanbo and Hao Yilin; Video editors: Zhang Mocheng and Zhao Xiaoqing.) ■