China Lifts Import Tariffs on 53 African Nations
President Xi Jinping disclosed the sweeping policy shift Saturday through a message delivered to leaders assembled at an African Union summit in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.
The zero-tariff framework, launching May 1, will encompass nearly all imported products from qualifying countries, dramatically expanding a previous duty-free arrangement restricted to least developed nations, Xi announced.
Only Eswatini remains excluded from the initiative due to its ongoing diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, which China claims as its sovereign territory.
The policy will "create new opportunities for Africa's development" and deepen "mutually beneficial cooperation," Xi stated, revealing China would simultaneously enhance a "green channel" designed to streamline African export access.
China has dominated Africa's trade landscape for nearly twenty years. Commercial exchange between the regions surpassed $348 billion in 2025, Chinese customs records show. African shipments primarily comprise petroleum, minerals, and agricultural commodities, while Chinese exports flood the continent with manufactured products.
The announcement arrives as African governments navigate turbulent international commerce conditions. Washington recently renewed its cornerstone African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), providing duty-free entry for qualified African exports, yet trade friction continues.
The US has simultaneously levied tariffs on select imports as part of expansive trade enforcement, triggering anxiety among African administrations regarding sustained access to American markets. South Africa, among AGOA's largest beneficiaries, has endured tariff confrontations and market access disputes with Washington, prompting intensified trade partnerships with China and other Asian powers.
China has progressively deepened economic penetration throughout Africa, bankrolling infrastructure development via its Belt and Road Initiative and supplementary programs.
African representatives praised the tariff elimination. Uganda's minister of state for foreign affairs, Henry Okello Oryem, indicated Xi's actions will amplify commerce between Africa and China.
Jito Kayomba, special assistant and adviser to Zambia's president on finance and investment, characterized the move as evidence of "the deep friendship between Africa and China."
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