📰 China Scraps Tariffs for Nearly All African Nations in Landmark Trade Policy
On May 1, 2026, China officially announced a zero-tariff policy covering virtually all African nations, marking a significant step in the world’s second-largest economy’s push for trade liberalization. The policy takes effect this Friday and covers 53 African countries, running through April 30, 2028.
Policy Scope and the Single Exception
Under the new policy, China will eliminate import tariffs on goods from all African countries, with one exception: Eswatini, which maintains diplomatic ties with Taiwan rather than the People’s Republic of China.
As of December 2024, China had already implemented a duty-free policy for 33 least-developed African nations. The latest expansion extends the regime to nearly the entire continent, including more industrialized economies such as South Africa and Morocco.
Beijing has emphasized that it is the first major economy to offer unilateral zero-tariff treatment to Africa, a move aimed at bolstering its soft power across the Global South.
The Structural Challenge of Trade Imbalance
Despite the widespread welcome for the zero-tariff policy, analysts point out that tariffs are rarely the primary obstacle for African exporters. Sino-African trade is marked by a profound and growing imbalance — Chinese exports to Africa far exceed African exports to China, and that gap is widening.
In 2025, Africa’s trade deficit with China surged 65% to approximately $102 billion. Africa’s exports to China are dominated by minerals and raw materials, including crude oil and metallic ores. China’s main trading partners in the region include Angola (driven primarily by oil), the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Africa.
Lauren Johnston, a senior research fellow at the AustChina Institute, noted: “China is positioning itself as the trade liberalizer and Africa-friendly economic partner, in contrast to Donald Trump and the US.” She pointed out that the US had imposed tariffs of up to 30% on some African nations, though most are now subject to a 10% rate.
Long-Term Potential vs. Structural Constraints
Jervin Naidoo, a political analyst at Oxford Economics Africa, argued that tariff reductions alone cannot address continent-wide needs for economic restructuring and infrastructure upgrading. “Many African economies still face structural constraints, such as limited industrial capacity, weak logistics, and a reliance on raw commodity exports,” he said.
Alfred Schipke, director of the East Asian Institute in Singapore, agreed that the short-term economic impact “will likely be modest and concentrated in African countries that already have export capacity.” However, he added that “over the long term, the potential could be more meaningful, especially if African countries are able to expand production, diversify exports, and move up the value chain.”
New Opportunities for Agricultural Exports
Changing consumer demand in China could open new markets for African producers. Chinese consumers are purchasing significantly more coffee and nuts than they did two decades ago.
Ken Gichinga, a Kenyan economist, said: “These new measures will improve access to Chinese markets, closing that trade deficit and expand opportunities for African companies to prosper. For Kenya, it will be a big boost to certain subsectors such as avocado. The agriculture sector will benefit the most — macadamia nuts, coffee, tea and leather.”
However, African fiscal policy economist Wangari Kebuchi cautioned that while short-term support for foreign exchange earnings and “a modest boost to agriculture, mining and logistics sectors” are welcome, medium and long-term fiscal gains will not materialize from market access alone.
Source: BBC News - China scraps tariffs for all but one African nation