By Yan Yuqing

The year 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the launch of diplomatic relations between China and Africa. On February 14, President Xi Jinping, in a congratulatory message to the 39th African Union Summit, announced that China would implement a zero-tariff policy on all tariff lines for products from 53 African countries with diplomatic ties with China from May 1, 2026.

China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, vividly described this initiative as an arithmetic equation: using the “subtraction” of tariffs to drive the “addition” of trade and achieve the “multiplication” of livelihoods, thereby creating greater opportunities for Africa through China’s vast market. This is a substantive policy of China to expand high-level opening-up at the outset of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and a key step in advancing the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)—Beijing Action Plan (2025–2027). It will inject new momentum into the shared pursuit of modernization between China and Africa.

The zero-tariff initiative highlights the defining feature of “mutual benefit and win-win cooperation” in the China-Africa community with a shared future. In 2025, China-Africa trade reached 348 billion USD, up 17.7 percent year-on-year to a record high. China has remained Africa’s largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years. Expanding trade preferences has long been an important way for China to share development dividends with Africa, with our market access gradually extending from least developed countries to all African countries with diplomatic relations with China. This latest move to grant zero tariff on 100 percent of tariff lines for products from 53 African countries will further expands our profit concession and accelerate the entry of African products into the Chinese market, injecting fresh vitality into China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.

At the same time, China will upgrade a range of supporting measures, including establishing “green channels” for African exports to China, opening commodity exhibition and sales platforms, and promoting cross-border e-commerce. These efforts will further streamline information flows, reduce trade costs, enable precise matching of supply and demand, and fully unlock the policy dividends. Through concrete actions, China demonstrates that it honours its commitments of advancing closer China-Africa economic connectivity through greater opening-up, delivering tangible benefits to African peoples, and continuously strengthening the foundation of the China-Africa community with a shared future.

The zero-tariff policy also reflects China’s responsibility as a major country in firmly safeguarding the international economic and trade order. At present, a few major powers are pursuing unilateralism, protectionism, and trade bullying, which have severely impacted the global economic and trade system and posed significant challenges to developing countries, including those in Africa.

Against this backdrop, China’s decision to grant zero tariff to African countries with diplomatic ties—without attaching any political conditions—not only provides stable market expectations for African countries and boosts their confidence in economic growth, but also contributes to maintaining the stability of the global trading system and creating a favourable institutional environment for China and Africa to jointly achieve modernization. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, during the 39th African Union Summit, highly praised China’s zero-tariff initiative for Africa, appealing to all developed countries and nations with large economic potential to take exactly the same measure.

Nigeria is an important trading partner of China in Africa. In 2025, bilateral trade between China and Nigeria exceeded 28 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of over 28 percent. With the implementation of the zero-tariff policy, various Nigerian specialty products, including cashews, sesame, sorghum, and dried ginger, will gain stronger price advantages in the Chinese market, positioning them for broader market recognition and access. In addition, on March 26 this year, China and Nigeria signed the Framework Agreement on Economic Partnership for Shared Development.

The two sides will jointly promote the development of Nigeria’s manufacturing industry, facilitate the transformation and upgrading of its agriculture, and enhance its global market competitiveness.
Negotiations will be conducted in areas including the liberalization and facilitation of trade in goods and services, strengthening cooperation on green development, investment, and digital trade. This represents an important step in implementing the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit and another major achievement in China-Nigeria economic and trade cooperation, helping establish long-term, stable, and predictable institutional guarantees for bilateral trade and investment.

This year also marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nigeria. The Consulate General of China in Lagos stands ready to take the zero-tariff initiative as an opportunity to actively facilitate business exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, provide greater convenience for Nigeria to expand exports to China, promote the transition from primary commodity exports to value-added product exports, and support Nigeria in achieving diversified and high-quality development.

As President Xi Jinping pointed out, “Without our modernization (China and Africa), there will be no global modernization.” China is committed to working with Nigeria and other African countries to fully leverage the favorable zero-tariff policy, further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, transform China’s vast market into Africa’s great opportunity, and jointly open a new chapter in building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.

Ms Yan Yuqing is Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Lagos.