Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: China has scrapped tariffs for all African countries from May1 – except Eswatini, which maintains ties with Taiwan. As of December 2024, China implemented a duty-free policy for 33 leastdeveloped African nations. The policy now covers 53 countries, and will be in place until April 30, 2028. It is unclear what will happen after that.
Beijing has boasted that it is the first major economy to offer unilateral zero-tariff treatment to Africa. However analysts say that while China is seizing the chance to enhance its soft power, they point out that tariffs are rarely the main obstacle for exporters in Africa which has a huge trade deficit with China.
The US had hit some African nations with tariffs of up to 30 per cent in August, although most are now subject to a 10 per cent tariff, after the US Supreme Court struck down many of the duties.
The expansion of China’s zero-tariff regime could increase African agricultural exports. But Sino-African trade is marked by a growing imbalance in China’s favour, which means Chinese exports to Africa far exceed African exports to China, and that difference is widening.
Last year, Africa’s trade deficit with China rose by 65 per cent to about $102bn.
Africa’s exports to China are dominated by minerals and raw materials, such as crude oil and metallic ores. Currently, China’s main trading partners in the region include Angola, driven primarily by oil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Africa. However, a consistent duty-free regime across such a heterogenous continent could result in uneven gains. More developed, industrialised economies like South Africa and Morocco will be better positioned to expand exports.
