China’s next five-year economic development plan will be unveiled at its largely ceremonial national legislature, the National People’s Congress, on March 5. The plan, which covers 2026 to 2030, will likely outline the CPC’s aim to shift the Chinese economy toward boosting domestic consumption.
However, with high youth unemployment at home and an unpredictable global economic situation, the Chinese government is unlikely to give up on low-level consumption. This ...
Category: Commodities
Copper Rebounds on China Stockpiling, Stronger Risk Sentiment
By Eric Onstad Copper prices rebounded on Tuesday after news that China plans to boost stockpiles of copper and as risk sentiment rekindled among global investors. Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metals Exchange gained 3.6% to $13,360 ...
China Launches Investigation Into Beef Imports
China's commerce ministry launched an investigation into imported beef on Friday at the request of representatives from its struggling domestic industry. The local price of beef in China has trended downwards in recent years, with analysts blaming oversupply and a lack ...
The Good News, Bad News About Uganda’s Trade With China
Chinese trade with Uganda has more than doubled over the past ten years from $600 million to $1.3 billion, according to Zhang Lizhong, China's ambassador to the East African country. While that is undoubtedly encouraging, the figures conceal a much deeper ...
Trade Numbers Reveal Africa-China Sticking Points
New Africa-China trade figures released by China’s General Administration of Customs reveal a low-energy trade relationship hemmed in by structural constraints. The Chinese authorities tried to put a happy face on it by emphasizing the 1.5% increase in trade (to a total ...
23 Tons of Kenyan Avocados Sold Out on the Day They Arrived in Hunan Province
Kenyan avocados are once again flowing into the Chinese market, but not soon enough for many buyers who snapped 23 tons of the fruit that arrived last month in the Hunan capital of Changsha in central China. Changsha is fast emerging ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Fun Fact: China’s Unexpected Corn Boom
Many would be surprised to hear the results of new research showing that China now produces more corn than rice. And its need for biofuels, starches and animal feed is so big it also imports huge amounts from other corn producers like Brazil.
Commodity Exporters in Developing Countries Fret as China’s Worsening COVID Outbreaks, Protests Prompts Sell-Off
Commodity sellers in Africa, the Middle East and the Americas are becoming increasingly anxious over the situation in China, where days of street protests and COVID outbreaks across the country are weighing down the price of their key exports.
Star Power Boosts Rwandan Coffee in Online Sales Session
The famous Chinese actress Liu Tao recently hosted a live sale of Rwandan coffee on Alibaba’s e-commerce website Taobao. She sold 500kg of coffee beans in 5 minutes. It usually takes two to three months to sell that much on e-commerce sites. These ...
Nigerian Garment Union Calls Out Local Officials in Fight Against Cheap Chinese Imports
Nigeria’s national union of textile workers is complaining about the complicity of customs officials in the flooding of the local market by Chinese textiles. While cheap imports from China have long been blamed for undercutting the local garment sector, the National Union of Textile, Garment, and Tailoring ...
China’s Australia Tensions a Win for South African Wines
South Africa doubled its exports of wine to China last year, following the souring of relations between Beijing and its biggest wine seller, Australia. While we’ve seen sporadic reports of how Western Cape wine farmers are leaning into their ...
Almost 2/3 of Africa’s Exports to China Last Year Came From Just Three Countries
The highly distorted nature of China-Africa trade in 2021 was the subject of a series of compelling charts and infographics published on Tuesday by the online financial news site Quartz. African exports, in particular, stood out. Only three ...
Rwanda’s Ambassador to China is Becoming an Innovative Pitchman for His Country’s Coffee Industry
If African countries are going to close their gaping trade deficits with China they'll have to find new ways to sell more of their goods to Chinese consumers. And James Kimonyo thinks he knows how. Kimonyo, Rwanda's Ambassador to China, is emerging ...