China will scrap tariffs on all imports from 53 African countries from May 1, 2026, President Xi Jinping announced, a sweeping move aimed at rebalancing trade ties that have long favoured the Asian economic giant.
In a message to African heads of state gathered in Addis Ababa for the annual summit of the African Union on Saturday, Xi said Beijing would “fully implement zero-tariff treatment” for all African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations.
“Starting May 1, 2026, China will fully implement zero-tariff treatment for 53 African countries,” Xi said, adding that the initiative would “create new opportunities for Africa’s development” and deepen “mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation”.
The decision was first unveiled in June 2025, at a time of mounting global trade tensions and disruptions triggered by new tariff measures imposed by the United States. While Beijing signalled its intention then to offer blanket duty-free access to African exports, it did not specify a timeline for implementation until this weekend’s announcement.
The zero-tariff policy will apply to all African trading partners except Eswatini, the only country on the continent that maintains diplomatic ties with Taiwan rather than Beijing.
Since December 1, 2024, 33 African countries mostly classified as least developed have already benefited from duty-free access to the Chinese market under an existing preferential trade scheme. The new policy extends those benefits to middle-income economies that were previously excluded.
Countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Morocco, whose exports had faced Chinese tariffs of up to 25 percent, will for the first time enjoy comprehensive duty-free access to the world’s second-largest economy.
China has been Africa’s largest trading partner since 2008, with trade volumes expanding rapidly over the past two decades alongside Beijing’s growing economic and political footprint on the continent.
According to figures from Chinese customs authorities, total trade between China and Africa reached US$348.05 billion in 2025, an increase of 17.7 percent from the previous year. Chinese exports to Africa surged 25.8 percent to US$225.03 billion, while imports from the continent rose a more modest 5.4 percent to US$123.02 billion.
As a result, Africa’s trade deficit with China widened sharply, rising 64.5 percent year-on-year to a record $102.01 billion in 2025.
Trade between the two sides has long been characterised by a structural imbalance. China exports mainly manufactured goods such as machinery, electronics, vehicles and textiles, while importing largely unprocessed or lightly processed raw materials from Africa, including crude oil, metal ores and agricultural commodities.
African exports to China are also heavily concentrated in a small number of countries. Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa account for a large share of shipments, largely driven by oil and minerals.
While Beijing’s zero-tariff offer carries geopolitical weight and underscores China’s effort to present itself as a partner to the Global South, analysts say its economic impact may be limited unless African countries address deeper structural challenges.
Many of the raw materials Africa exports already benefit from preferential tariff arrangements, meaning the removal of remaining duties may not significantly alter trade flows in the short term.
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In a report published in November 2025, the African Export-Import Bank said African economies would need broader reforms to fully capitalise on the initiative. These include developing regional value chains in sectors such as agro-processing, light manufacturing and mineral beneficiation, improving transport and logistics infrastructure, and better aligning exports with evolving Chinese consumer demand.
The bank also called for expanded trade finance tools, including export credit insurance and greater use of yuan-denominated financing, to help African firms compete more effectively in the Chinese market.
Without such measures, analysts warn, the zero-tariff policy risks remaining largely symbolic, offering political goodwill but doing little to narrow the deep and persistent trade gap between China and Africa.
