On February 14, 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in his congratulatory message to the 39th African Union Summit that, beginning May 1, 2026, China will fully implement zero tariff treatment for all African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations.
To actively implement these measures, the Tariff Committee of China’s State Council announced that from May 1, 2026 to April 30, 2028, China will grant zero tariff treatment, in the form of a preferential rate, to 20 African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China but are not classified among the least developed countries. For products subject to tariff quotas, only the in‑quota rate will be reduced to zero, while the out‑of‑quota rate will remain unchanged. During this two‑year implementation period, China will continue to promote negotiations and the signing of the China‑Africa Economic Partnership Agreement for Shared Development with the relevant African countries.
This latest initiative to extend zero tariff treatment to 20 additional African countries follows China’s earlier decision, effective December 1, 2024, to grant zero tariff treatment on 100% of tariff lines to 33 least developed African countries with which it has diplomatic relations. With the entry into force of this expanded policy on Friday, China will become the first major economy to offer comprehensive, unilateral zero tariff treatment to all African countries with diplomatic relations, as well as to all least developed countries with which it maintains diplomatic ties.
This initiative will play an important role in strengthening economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa, while promoting joint efforts to build a resilient China‑Africa community of shared future for the new era.
It is hoped that more African products, such as Benin’s sugarloaf pineapple, will gain access to the Chinese market and benefit both Chinese and African peoples.
Source: Embassy of China in Benin