Starting from December 1, 2024, a preferential tariff rate of zero will be applied to 100% of the tariff lines of products originating from least developed countries (LDCs) that have diplomatic relations with China. Among them, the tariff rate for tariff quota products will only be reduced to zero for in-quota tariffs, while the tariff rate for out-of-quota tariffs will remain unchanged.
During the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in September, China expressed its willingness to take the initiative to unilaterally expand its market opening, and decided to grant zero tariff treatment to 100 percent of the products of the least developed countries (LDCs) that have diplomatic relations with China, including 33 African countries, so as to promote the big market of China as a big opportunity for Africa.
This means that as of December 1, 33 countries in Africa will enjoy zero tariff treatment in China. These countries are: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central Africa, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Togo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Republic of Liberia, Republic of Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Djibouti, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Sierra Leone, Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia.
In conjunction with the zero-tariff policy, China will also expand the scope of imported goods from these countries and continuously simplify import procedures, which fully demonstrates that China will provide increasingly convenient access for products from African countries to the Chinese market.
China-Africa trade volume reached 282.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, setting a new historical peak for the second consecutive year; by the end of 2023, China’s direct investment stock in Africa exceeded 40 billion U.S. dollars; and China-Africa trade and investment in 2024 continued to maintain a steady development trend, which fully demonstrated the strong vitality and resilience of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.
