China to grant zero-tariff treatment to all African countries with diplomatic ties from May 1

Beijing: China will expand zero-tariff treatment to all African countries that have diplomatic ties with Beijing, starting May 1, an official announcement said.

The announcement specified that for products under tariff quotas, only the in-quota tariff rate will be reduced to zero, while the out-of-quota tariff rate will remain unchanged.

From May 1, 2026, to April 30, 2028, China will grant zero-tariff treatment, in the form of a preferential tariff rate, to 20 African countries that have established diplomatic ties with China and are not classified as the least developed countries, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council, China's central cabinet, said.



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During the two-year implementation period, China will continue to promote the negotiation and signing of the agreement of China-Africa Economic Partnership for Shared Development with relevant African countries, it said.

China's zero-tariff policy applies to 53 African countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing here.

"China will continue to negotiate and sign economic partnership agreements for common development with relevant African countries", Lin said.

"At the same time, it will upgrade the green channel for the export of agricultural products from Africa to China and steadily enhance trade facilitation between China and Africa," he said.

China's latest move to apply zero-tariff treatment to an additional 20 African nations came after it had granted zero-tariff treatment on 100 per cent of tariff lines since Dec. 1, 2024, for 33 least developed African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations.


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Ties between China and African countries have grown rapidly over the past few decades, becoming one of the most significant geopolitical and economic partnerships in the world.

The total trade between China and Africa touched USD 348 billion in 2025., of which China's exports amounted to USD 225 billion, while Africa's exports to China totalled USD 123 billion.