Fears that China’s slowing economy will cause world trade to deteriorate could be overstated, given European nations' long-standing trade links with emerging markets across Latin America, Asia and Africa.
"It sometimes slips under the radar quite how important Europe is for emerging markets," Capital Economics senior economist William Jackson told CNBC.
CNBC points out that the strong trade links are the result of colonial ties of the past. "Colonial links are very strong; it is incredible how strong they still are given the years that have passed," Standard & Poor's director Ravi Bhatia told CNBC.
The US-based publication noted that intra-Africa trade was picking up, despite the strong colonial ties.
While trade between China and sub-Saharan Africa reached $170 billion in 2013, according to the World Bank, trade between the EU and sub-Saharan Africa reached $205 billion in 2014, according to Standard Chartered Bank.
