China has pledged to remove tariffs for 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic ties, capitalising on trade tensions sparked by US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs imposed on African countries.
The measure aims to deepen China's partnership in trade and investment with African countries. But it excludes Eswatini, the only African nation recognising Taiwan's sovereignty.
China said it is “ready to” expand its zero‑tariff policy to cover 100% of tariff lines for all 53 African countries with diplomatic ties to Beijing, said a joint China-Africa statement issued on Wednesday at a ministerial meeting held in the city of Changsha, in Hunan province.
Bilateral trade volume between China and Africa rose to 2.1 trillion yuan ($292 billion) in 2024, up from less than 100 billion yuan ($13.9 billion) in 2000, according to data from China’s General Administration of Customs cited by the state-run Global Times.
China and its African allies, along with the African Union Commission, called on the US to return to trade talks based on “equality, respect and mutual benefit,” urging a shift from protectionist tariffs to multilateral dialogue.
“We call on all countries, the US in particular, to return to the right track of resolving trade disputes through consultation based on equality, respect and mutual benefit,” the statement said.
The push for equal dialogue comes amid rising tensions over US trade measures.
In April, Washington imposed steep tariffs on multiple African countries, including 50% on goods from Lesotho, 47% on Madagascar, 40% on Mauritius, 38% on Botswana, and 31% on South Africa.
