China has officially overtaken France as Cameroon’s second-largest export destination, signaling a major shift in trade relations and reflecting Africa’s broader economic pivot toward Asia.
According to new data from Cameroon’s National Institute of Statistics (INS), the country’s exports to China surged to 535.1 billion XAF in 2024, representing 16.5% of total exports — an 8.7 percentage-point rise from the previous year.
The jump was driven primarily by oil and gas, with crude oil alone accounting for 83% of exports to China and natural gas contributing another 8%.
France, once Cameroon’s leading trading partner and a key political ally, has now fallen to fifth place, holding only 5.7% of the total export share.
In contrast, the Netherlands retained its top position, accounting for 19.2% of Cameroon’s exports — dominated by cocoa (53.6%) and crude oil (29.5%). India ranked third with 10.1%, while Italy came fourth with imports worth 206.8 billion XAF.
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Cameroon’s changing trade pattern mirrors a continent-wide reorientation toward Asia, where nations are increasingly deepening commercial ties with China and India.
The shift comes as European markets tighten sustainability standards and reduce demand for fossil fuels.
For Beijing, Cameroon’s oil and gas exports fit neatly into China’s long-term energy strategy and its Belt and Road Initiative, which connects African resource producers to Asian industrial consumers.
Meanwhile, within Central Africa’s CEMAC bloc, regional trade appears to be slowing. Chad, once a major partner for Cameroon, dropped to eighth place in 2024, largely due to falling petroleum trade and reduced manufactured exports. France’s waning economic presence in Cameroon underscores a wider geopolitical trend in Francophone Africa, where countries are diversifying their partnerships.
Members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) — Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso — have already distanced themselves from Paris, pursuing closer ties with Russia and China.
Although Cameroon is not part of the AES bloc, its growing trade relationship with China suggests a quiet strategic shift away from traditional Western partners.
Analysts say the trend represents Africa’s “economic realignment,” as the continent seeks new growth opportunities through South-South cooperation.
As China’s trade footprint expands across Africa, its rise as Cameroon’s second-largest export market may mark not just a trade milestone — but a symbolic turning point in Central Africa’s evolving global partnerships.
