China to Remove Tariffs on All Imports from 53 African Nations

(MENAFN) China will remove customs duties on all imports from 53 African countries effective May 1, Beijing announced — a sweeping trade overture designed to throw open the doors of one of the world's largest consumer markets to the African continent, with one pointed exception.

Eswatini has been excluded from the zero-tariff arrangement, as it remains the only African nation that formally recognizes Taiwan's independent Republic of China statehood over the People's Republic of China.

A Trade Relationship Decades in the Making
The policy shift arrives against a backdrop of explosive growth in China-Africa commerce. Bilateral trade has surged from just $10 billion in 2000 to $114 billion in 2010, $187 billion in 2020, and $278 billion in 2023 — before accelerating further to $295.6 billion in 2024 and $348 billion in 2025, driven by deepening economic integration over two decades.

Despite the headline figures, the relationship has not been balanced. China exported $179 billion worth of goods to Africa in 2024, while African exports to China ranged between $99 billion and $116 billion, according to China's General Administration of Customs (GACC). By 2025, Chinese exports to the continent climbed to $225 billion against Africa's $123 billion in return — translating to a trade deficit of over $60 billion in 2024 and roughly $100 billion in 2025.

China's Commanding Grip on African Trade
Beijing holds an unrivaled position as Africa's largest trading partner and the continent's biggest source of imports. China accounted for $82 billion of Africa's global exports in 2024 — more than double the United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s $41 billion, and dwarfing Italy and France, which each contributed $35 billion, according to UN global comparative data.

Overall, China commands 22% of Africa's total trade, with 25% of the continent's imports sourced from Chinese suppliers — a dominance that leaves other trading partners far behind.

Raw Materials Still Dominate the Export Mix
While trade volumes have soared, the composition of African exports to China tells a more complicated story. Approximately 69% of Africa's shipments to China consist of oil, gold, copper, aluminum, and iron ore — a concentration that underscores the continent's continued reliance on raw material exports.

Agricultural and industrial products account for only a marginal share of the export basket, pointing to a structural imbalance that the new tariff policy may seek to address — but has yet to resolve.

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