Trade Competition Between Asia and the European Union in Africa

The paper studies trade in goods between the European Union (EU) and 54 African countries and between four Asian countries (China, India, Japan, and South Korea) and Africa over the period from 2000 to 2013. The analysis is based on the data retrieved from the UN Comtrade Database. The EU is a major trading partner for Africa. However, its role in Africa’s trade has been declining since the beginning of the global crisis. On the other hand, a significant increase in Asia-Africa trade has been observed. Since 2006, bilateral trade of four Asian countries with 34 Africa’s least developed countries (LDCs) have been surpassing trade of the EU with Africa’s LDCs. Both, the European Union and Asian countries combine trade policy with development policy.