China Scraps Tariffs for African Imports

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China will remove tariffs on imports from almost all African countries starting May 1. This expansion of an existing zero-tariff policy, which previously covered 33 nations, will now apply to 53 African countries with which China has diplomatic relations. The only exception is Eswatini, due to its diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. This initiative, announced during the annual African Union summit in Ethiopia, is expected to deepen trade and economic engagement between China and Africa, providing new opportunities for African development. It also comes at a time when many African countries are diversifying their trade relationships following global tariff impositions by Donald Trump.