China’s growing coffee market and its decision to extend zero-tariff treatment to products from eligible African countries are opening new opportunities for expanded agricultural trade between China and Africa, with cocoa and coffee among the commodities that could benefit.
The opportunities were highlighted during a visit by African journalists to Kunshan in Jiangsu Province, where they explored the city’s rapidly developing coffee industry and its growing links with international suppliers.
The visit formed part of activities marking the 2026 China-Africa Audiovisual Culture Exchange Week and offered insights into how China’s expanding consumer market could create new opportunities for African agricultural exporters.
Kunshan’s coffee industry has evolved from a relatively small consumer sector into a broader economic ecosystem involving coffee processing, equipment manufacturing, supply chains, retail, tourism and cultural activities.
Yang Huihan, team lead of the Kunshan Coffee Industry Creativity Company, said the company introduces visitors from China and abroad to the development of Kunshan’s coffee industry, its history and the businesses supporting the sector.
She said the industry has expanded significantly since around 2020, with coffee-related businesses contributing to employment, local economic activity and tax revenues. The development includes factories that roast imported green coffee beans for Chinese and international brands, as well as companies involved in coffee-making equipment, distribution and retail.
For African producers, China’s coffee market presents an opportunity to expand beyond traditional export destinations.
Yinghao Tang, manager of Cafebreak, a coffee manufacturing company in Kunshan, said his company currently sources raw coffee materials from Brazil and African countries including Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.
Tang said the company plans to increase its imports from Africa following China’s introduction of zero-tariff treatment for products from eligible African countries.
“At present, the company imports over 10,000 tonnes of coffee beans from Africa,” Tang said.
He said greater access to African coffee would provide opportunities for Chinese companies while helping African producers expand their presence in the Chinese market.
Cafebreak produces a range of coffee products, including Ethiopia Sidamo Abegons Coffee Beans, Yunding Floral Champion Drip Coffee, Cedar Mandheling Coffee Beans and Yirgacheffe Chachere Drip Bag Coffee.
The experience of Kunshan also points to opportunities beyond coffee, particularly for African cocoa-producing countries. China’s zero-tariff policy can improve the competitiveness of eligible African agricultural products and potentially stimulate greater imports of cocoa and other commodities.
Africa is the world’s leading cocoa-producing region, with major producers including Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon. Increased access to the Chinese market could provide these countries with an opportunity to diversify their export destinations and strengthen their participation in global value chains.
However, experts and industry stakeholders say greater market access must be matched by improvements in production, quality, processing, packaging, branding and logistics if African producers are to capture a larger share of the Chinese market.
The Kunshan model demonstrates how an agricultural commodity can support a much wider industrial ecosystem. Coffee has generated opportunities not only for farmers and importers but also for manufacturers, retailers, tourism operators, equipment suppliers and cultural businesses.
A similar approach could help African cocoa-producing countries move beyond the export of raw beans by developing stronger links with Chinese companies involved in cocoa processing, chocolate manufacturing, packaging and distribution.
Such partnerships could increase the value retained in African economies while providing Chinese businesses with more reliable access to high-quality agricultural products.
For China, expanding imports from Africa also supports efforts to diversify sources of agricultural commodities and meet the demands of an increasingly sophisticated consumer market. The growing Chinese coffee market therefore provides an important case study for how preferential trade policies can translate into wider commercial opportunities.
For African countries, the priority is to turn zero-tariff access into concrete export growth by improving supply capacity, meeting Chinese market standards and building direct relationships with Chinese importers and manufacturers.
Emmanuel Kollie, a journalist with the Liberian Broadcasting Service who participated in the Kunshan visit, said the experience gave him a new perspective on how coffee could drive employment and economic development, while highlighting the need for stronger China-Africa agricultural trade.
“This is one thing we Africans are concerned about in terms of how we can market our cocoa and coffee,” he said.
Kollie noted that Liberia produces significant quantities of coffee and cocoa and called for stronger commercial engagement between Chinese businesses and African producers.
He said increased Chinese investment and sourcing from African agricultural economies could benefit producers while contributing to economic growth in China.
The Kunshan experience thus offers a practical illustration of the opportunities emerging from China’s zero-tariff policy. As Chinese demand for coffee, cocoa and other agricultural products grows, stronger trade and investment partnerships could help transform preferential market access into deeper China-Africa economic cooperation.
