China has officially removed all tariffs on goods from 53 African countries in a move that is expected to significantly strengthen trade ties between Beijing and the continent.
The wide-reaching policy, effective since December 2024, was formally unveiled by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday at the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). The announcement coincides with the Fourth China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, southern China.
President Xi Jinping called the policy a ‘new impetus’ for joint development in what he described as a world shaped by ‘changes and turbulence’. The decision extends zero-tariff treatment to all tariff lines for countries maintaining diplomatic relations with Beijing.
South-South trade gets a major lift
Wang Yi explained the measure is part of China’s push to build an ‘all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era’. He added that the plan aims to promote stability, resilience, and prosperity in the Global South.
The Changsha Declaration, issued after the high-level talks, emphasised the emergence of the Global South as a leading force in international development. ‘China and Africa are important members of and staunch forces in the Global South,’ it stated.
The declaration also took aim at global trade barriers, decrying the rise of protectionism, unilateralism, and ‘economic bullying’—an apparent reference to Western tariffs imposed on China and African nations. These actions, it argued, have constrained growth and livelihood improvements across developing countries.
Real impact hinges on African reforms
According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, imports from African Least Developed Countries surged 15.2 per cent year-on-year between December 2024 and March 2025, reaching $21.42 billion. Officials hope the tariff exemption will further boost these figures.
However, analysts caution that while the zero-tariff scheme is a major gesture, its transformative impact depends on how African nations respond. Many of Africa’s exports to China are still dominated by unprocessed raw materials, while manufactured imports continue to flood African markets.
‘Tariff removal is just the beginning,’ said one regional economist. ‘African countries must now ramp up local production, dismantle internal trade barriers, and move up the value chain to truly benefit.’
Past tariff-free agreements, experts note, often resulted in growth limited to low-value exports like cocoa, coffee, or minerals—without significant industrialisation gains.
China deepens its strategic footprint
Beyond trade, the zero-tariff offer is seen as a geopolitical move that strengthens China’s influence across the continent. The Changsha Declaration reaffirmed a commitment to ‘stabilise this uncertain world with the certainty of the China-Africa relationship’ and championed a multipolar, cooperative global order.
The declaration also urged the broader international community to increase—rather than cut—development aid to Africa.
Since the inception of FOCAC in 2000, trade between China and Africa has increased more than 20-fold, reaching 2.1 trillion yuan ($291bn) in 2024. China has held its place as Africa’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years.
With this sweeping removal of trade barriers, Beijing appears poised to further entrench that status—while positioning itself as a more dependable partner in a time of shifting global alliances.
Credit: Africabriefing
