Beijing is on course to boost trade with Africa after granting nine African countries tariff-free access to China, according to the South China Morning Post. The policy, which comes into force on Dec. 1, covers nearly 8,800 items, including, apparel and footwear, agricultural goods and chemical products. Nine other African nations were granted tariff-free access to China in September.
- As of December 1, nine more African nations will get wider tariff-free access to China, enjoyed by a similar number since September
- Policy covers nearly 8,800 items, as China seeks to boost African imports to US$300 billion by 2025
Nearly a year ago, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda requested that the East African country be allowed to export more products tariff-free to the lucrative Chinese market.
China’s trade restrictions made it impossible to export some items, he explained.
“[Chinese] companies are very active. They [see opportunity] … and they come and invest. So I think that is going very well,” Museveni told Bloomberg in November, ahead of the 8th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation ministerial conference.
“The only new thing now I should insist on is the issue of market access,” he said, urging China to “allow our products to enter their market, quota-free, tax-free”.
“We would like … a broader spectrum of access to the market, without tax and without quantitative limit.”
Last week, that request was granted.
From December 1, China will waive tariffs on 98 per cent of taxable items originating in 10 least-developed countries (LDCs), including Uganda and eight other African nations.
Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Malawi, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania and Zambia are the African nations set to get duty-free access from December 1, alongside Uganda.
Djibouti, Togo, Rwanda, Eritrea, Guinea, Mozambique, Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic were on the earlier list, with several Asian and Pacific nations completing the overall line-up.
