The 4th China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) Photo: VCG

China's recent announcement to expand zero-tariff treatment to all 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic ties is a major opening-up measure that aims to boost trade and investment cooperation and reduce the China-Africa trade deficit, a Chinese official said on Wednesday. 

Du Xiaohui, director-general of the Department of African Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, made the remarks during a briefing on Wednesday regarding China-Africa relations and the outcomes of the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which was held in Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province on June 11.

On June 13, China announced that it will expand zero-tariff treatment to all 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic ties. This came after it granted zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of product categories to all least developed countries with which it has diplomatic relations, including 33 African countries, starting from December 1, 2024, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Du pointed out that in his knowledge, in the history of modern international relations, this is the first time a 100-percent tariff-free policy on all products has been announced for this many nations.

The zero-tariff treatment is not merely a trade promotion policy that lowers the threshold for African products to enter China. It also serves as an investment promotion policy, encouraging more Chinese enterprises, especially private ones, to invest in Africa with Chinese capital and technology. The Chinese government has adopted such a major unilateral opening-up measure to narrow the trade deficit between China and Africa, Du noted. 

The official further noted that China's policy toward Africa, particularly its emphasis on equality and sincerity, serves as a mirror in the current international situation, exposing the condescending, racially superior, and self-prioritizing behavior of other countries.

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Tuesday that the agreement of China-Africa Economic Partnership for Shared Development is an innovative free trade agreement between China and African countries. Under the agreement, applying zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent of the tariff lines to all 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China serves as a vivid embodiment of promoting the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit and building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.

Amid rampant unilateralism and protectionism, China and Africa are determined to jointly respond to challenges and inject stability and positive energy into the development of global trade. This major move conforms to the development direction of economic globalization, responds to the expectations of African countries, and complies with WTO rules, the MOFCOM said in a statement. 

"We appreciate the zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent of the tariff lines for African countries that have diplomatic relations with China, which marks the free entry of African products including Kenyan coffee, tea and other products into the Chinese market," Lee Kinyanjui, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry of Kenya, told the Global Times during the just-concluded four-day 4th China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, which was also held in Changsha.

Kinyanjui said that it is very important for Kenya. "That access to a 1.4 billion population is a big thing… especially in the area of food security, we see a huge opportunity for us to be able to work together," he noted.