In recent years, China has become the largest single trading partner and key investor for the African region.i Yet reliable data on this increasingly important relationship is scarce.

In 2010, the Chinese State Council published its first China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation White Paper, which significantly contributed to a deeper understanding of the motives and mechanisms driving the China-Africa economic relationship. It also suggests that the Chinese government is increasingly willing to share trade and investment data. ii The 2010 White Paper provided a general overview of Chinese economic cooperation with Africa from 1950 until 2009, focusing on progress since the first Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was held Beijing in 2000. It also discussed how this has contributed to enhancing South-South cooperation and equitable global economic development.