China has announced plans to eliminate all tariffs on exports from African countries it holds diplomatic relations with, a move aimed at strengthening trade ties and boosting market opportunities for the continent.
Currently, China grants duty- and quota-free access to products from Least Developed Countries (LDCs), many of which are in Africa.
However, under the new arrangement, middle-income African nations will also enjoy similar benefits, creating a more balanced trading framework.“China is ready to welcome quality products from Africa to the Chinese market,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement following talks in Changsha, where senior Chinese and African officials met to review progress on pledges made at a summit in Beijing last September.
Recognizing the potential challenges for smaller economies like Tanzania or Mali when competing against more industrialized nations such as South Africa in an open market, China also committed to additional support for LDCs. This includes initiatives in training and marketing promotion to help them stay competitive.
Analysts believe the policy shift could particularly benefit African countries with well-established manufacturing sectors, enabling them to tap into China’s vast consumer market. “It enables middle-income countries like Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, and Morocco to now enter the Chinese market duty-free,” said Hannah Ryder, founder of Development Reimagined, an Africa-focused consultancy.
Although trade between China and Africa has grown steadily in recent years, it remains tilted in China’s favor, with a trade surplus of $62 billion (R1.11 trillion) recorded last year. Ryder pointed out that for the trade relationship to be sustainable, African exports to China must also rise. “Unless we have an equivalent increase of African exports to China, then trade deficits will continue to increase,” she noted, adding that the new measures could help ease this imbalance.