China removes tariffs on African states
Starting from 1st May of this year, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will eliminate tariffs on imports from 53 African states. These measures represent a further step in Beijing’s strategy aimed at strengthening its position as a privileged interlocutor for the African continent, both from a commercial and, consequently, a political perspective.
Since 2012, China has held the position of Africa’s leading trading partner, a role consolidated thanks to its vast availability of capital and the initially limited competition from other international actors on the ground. This trend was confirmed in 2025: the total volume of trade between China and Africa reached 348.05 billion dollars, marking a 17.7% increase compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, this phenomenon is accompanied by a growing imbalance between the two sides, characterized by a significant surplus in Chinese exports, amounting to 225.03 billion dollars. Most of these goods are high value-added manufactured products, such as industrial machinery, electronic devices, electric vehicles, and technologies for the energy transition.
These tariff measures represent an attempt to rebalance bilateral trade and, at the same time, to incentivize imports, which currently amount to 123.02 billion dollars, particularly in sectors of strategic importance for China, ensuring a stable supply of petroleum, cobalt, copper, lithium, and iron.
Furthermore, the removal of tariffs is not driven solely by commercial considerations, but also by the growing competition between the PRC and the United States on the African continent. The Trump administration has increased its engagement in the region, especially in the mining sector, aiming to secure its supply chains for critical raw materials (CRMs), thereby posing a new challenge to Chinese dominance.
In addition to a more consistent diplomatic presence in Africa, the United States introduced the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in 2000, a program that provides tariff-free access to the American market for many Sub-Saharan products. However, AGOA membership depends on the fulfillment of certain domestic political criteria, including policies aimed at reducing poverty, combating corruption, and promoting human rights and political pluralism.
This conditionality is strategically leveraged by China, which offers investments and infrastructure without imposing political requirements, in line with its traditional principle of non-interference. Through the removal of tariffs, Beijing is thus seeking to consolidate its position as a stable and politically non-intrusive partner.
From this perspective, the only notable exception concerns the recognition of Taiwan: unsurprisingly, the only African state excluded from the tariff exemption is Eswatini, which does not recognize Chinese sovereignty over the island.