China’s recent announcement that it was expanding its tariff-free policy to additional African countries, namely Angola, Gambia, Congo, Madagascar, Mali and Mauritania, may be a catalyst for new opportunities amid criticisms about the trade imbalance, according to experts. The Chinese government announced on 25 December 2023 that it was granting the additional six African states with tariff-free access for goods on 98% of taxable products. This has increased the number of African countries on the zero-tariff policy to 27, as Beijing had earlier announced similar cuts for 21 other African countries. “Each country is pursuing their national interest; you can’t vilify China or any country for pursuing their interest. You have to look at each policy and take the opportunity for your own national interest,” Olalekan Babatunde of the National Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies in Nigeria said.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 15, 2024 11:51 UTC