China-Africa economic and trade cooperation has been steadily expanding, with trade scale between the two sides reaching a record high from January to April this year.
China's imports and exports with African countries recorded 885.34 billion yuan in the first four months of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 19.4 percent, according to the data released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Saturday.
"In the first four months of this year, China's imports from Africa increased by 11.2 percent year-on-year, maintaining growth for eight consecutive months. Starting from May 1, China has implemented zero-tariff measures for 53 African countries with diplomatic relations. So far, African seasonal agricultural products such as apples, oranges and avocados have been declared for import under the zero-tariff policy. With its ultra-large market, China provides new development opportunities for Africa, better benefiting the people of both China and Africa," said Lyu Daliang, director of the GAC's Statistics and Analysis Department.
China's foreign trade grew by 14.9 percent on a yearly basis to reach 16.23 trillion yuan in the first four months of 2026.
The country's exports rose 11.3 percent year-on-year to 9.33 trillion yuan, while its imports jumped 20 percent on a yearly basis to 6.9 trillion yuan.
China-Africa trade reaches record high in Jan-April
At least 15 people were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, according to Lebanese official sources.
At least one child was among those killed and several children were among those injured in the strikes, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry and the National News Agency.
The Israeli army on Saturday morning ordered residents of southern Lebanese towns to evacuate before conducting airstrikes and demolishing homes.
Israeli attacks and airstrikes in Lebanon since March 2 had killed 2,795 people and injured 8,586 others, according to the latest data released by the Emergency Operations Center of Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it launched a rocket barrage overnight targeting a gathering of Israeli military vehicles and soldiers along the Lebanon-Israel border, in response to Israeli violations of the ceasefire.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the group was in a "defensive position" against Israeli "aggression" and warned that Israel should expect a response whenever it targets Lebanese villages or Beirut's southern suburbs. An Israeli soldier was seriously injured, and two others moderately injured in Israeli territory near the Lebanese border by an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah on Saturday, according to a statement issued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The soldiers were rushed to a hospital, the statement said, adding that additional explosive drones launched by Hezbollah fell in Israeli territory near the border, without causing any casualties.
Another explosive drone hit an unmanned IDF engineering vehicle in southern Lebanon, with no casualties reported, the IDF said, adding that its air force intercepted several projectiles launched by Hezbollah toward Israeli soldiers operating in southern Lebanon.
The exchanges of fire came despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that took effect last month following weeks of cross-border fighting tied to broader regional tensions triggered by the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
15 killed in Israeli strikes in S. Lebanon
