China to Africa import guides
Long-form guides written by our team for each corridor: from 1688 to a sold product, with real numbers pulled from our calculators.
Importing
How to import from China to Nigeria in 2026
The honest landed cost of importing from China to Nigeria in 2026 — sourcing on 1688, paying in yuan, freight, NCS duty and whether the margin survives.
Importing from China to Ghana: the full GRA cost picture
Sourcing, paying suppliers in yuan from cedis, freight to Tema, and the layered GRA duty-and-levy stack that decides whether the margin survives.
Importing from China to Kenya: EAC duty, IDF and RDL explained
What a Nairobi importer really pays from China: the EAC CET duty bands, the IDF and RDL levies, 16% VAT, Mombasa freight and a worked landed cost.
Importing from China to South Africa: SARS duty and the ATV VAT trap
What an order from China actually lands at in Johannesburg: SARS duty by tariff line, the Added Tax Value that inflates your 15% VAT, freight and FX.
Payments
How to pay a Chinese supplier from Africa: every method, honestly ranked
Every realistic way to pay a 1688 or Alibaba supplier in RMB from Africa, ranked by all-in cost, speed and risk, with a worked example.
Alipay vs WeChat Pay vs B2B rails for importers
From Guangzhou: when a consumer wallet can pay a Chinese supplier, when it cannot, and why a B2B rail is the default for any real production order.
Sourcing
1688 vs Alibaba vs AliExpress: where the margin really is
Three Alibaba-group marketplaces, three very different prices for the same goods. Where the margin hides, and which one an African importer should actually use.
Reading a Chinese supplier quote: FOB, CIF, CBM, MOQ explained
FOB, CIF, EXW, CBM and MOQ decoded from the side that wrote the quote, with a worked carton calculation so the price you read is the price you pay.