Statistical discrepancy reflects different reporting practices and ‘opaque’ global commodity chains, according to observers
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenJevans NyabiagePublished: 12:00pm, 10 Mar 2026Whenever South African officials meet their Chinese counterparts to talk trade, the issue of the imbalance in China’s favour is almost certainly raised.But a discrepancy in the data from the two sides makes it hard to assess the trade gap.The latest Chinese customs data suggests that South Africa actually holds a surplus – exporting more to the world’s second-largest economy than it receives in return.
According to the numbers from Beijing, China recorded US$30.58 billion in imports from South Africa last year.
However, the South African data for the same period – via the United Nations International Trade Statistics Database, or UN Comtrade – shows the country shipped goods worth US$13.5 billion to China.
Observers said this multibillion-dollar statistical gap was a reflection of how the true flow of goods between nations could be masked by different reporting practices and “opaque” global commodity chains.
