French media focus: China implements zero tariffs on all African countries starting today, except one
Starting May 1, all African countries except Eswatini—which does not have diplomatic relations with China—can export goods to China without paying tariffs.
This preferential regime has applied since 2005 to 33 of the least developed African countries. Now, its scope will be extended to Africa’s largest economies, such as South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola. According to Chinese customs data, these three countries accounted for nearly 56% of Africa’s exports to China in 2025.
Through this move, China aims to signal to its "African brothers" that its economy is fully open to African products.
The economic publication Les Échos points out that eliminating tariffs will only have limited impact on the current trade imbalance clearly favoring China in Sino-African trade. In 2025, Beijing exported $22.5 billion worth of goods to Africa—an increase of 26%—but imported only $12.3 billion from Africa, up 5.4%, mainly raw materials, agricultural products, and oil.
Source: rfi
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1863991185050696/
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