China grants zero tariffs on nearly 9,000 African products

(ECNS) -- China has granted zero-tariff treatment to nearly 9,000 categories of products from 53 African countries with diplomatic ties to Beijing, Liu Yuxi, China's ambassador for the Affairs of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, said Monday.

Liu said the policy has helped drive growth in China-Africa trade. According to statistics from China's General Administration of Customs, trade between China and Africa rose 26.8% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, nearly nine percentage points higher than the overall growth rate of China's foreign trade during the same period.

The policy has encouraged greater Chinese investment in Africa, Liu noted. He described the zero-tariff arrangement as a comprehensive initiative integrating trade and investment, connecting Africa's resources and comparative advantages with China's vast market and industrial supply-chain strengths.

Liu said the policy is expected to attract more Chinese enterprises to invest in Africa, support the continent's industrialization and agricultural modernization, enhance the added value of African resources, and help Africa integrate more rapidly into global industrial and supply chains.

(By Gong Weiwei)