China offers African countries zero-tariff access on all imports.

China has announced plans to remove all tariffs on imports from all African countries except one as part of efforts to deepen trade relations and open up its vast consumer market to the continent.

The pledge, made during a high-level economic and trade forum with African ministers in Changsha this week, marks a major expansion of China’s preferential trade policy, which previously applied mostly to least-developed countries (LDCs).

If implemented, the policy will grant duty- and quota-free access to all African nations that have diplomatic ties with Beijing, excluding Eswatini, which mainly holds ties with Taiwan.

Officials say the new tariff-free arrangement will be formalised through negotiations and signed agreements in the coming months.

In 2024, bilateral trade between African countries and China reached a record high of $295.6 billion, while trade in the first quarter of 2025 hit $72.6 billion, up 2.7 per cent from the same period last year, according to data provided by the Chinese government.

Source: Businessday