For 53 Countries.. China Cancels Customs Duties on All African Countries

China cancelled customs duties on goods from 53 African countries starting Friday 1 May 2026. This measure was presented as a strong gesture of support for the continent, but its economic impact appears limited in reality, according to observers.

Radio France Internationale stated in a report that this step represents "a simple economic gesture, but it conceals a major political upheaval behind it. As Thierry Pairault, an economist and specialist in Chinese studies from the French National Centre for Scientific Research, points out, there were already multiple facilitated customs mechanisms. On the one hand, China imposed zero customs duties on a number of products from which Africa benefited, just as other countries did. There were also preferential customs tariffs within the framework of the World Trade Organization, and preferential prices for least developed countries."

The report continued that "as a result, at least 96% of products benefited from customs exemption, and therefore, this reform only affects a small fraction of trade."

It noted that "from an economic standpoint, the scope for improvement is limited, because the main products that Africa exports to China are raw materials that are already subject to reduced taxes or no taxes at all."

The economist explains: "For crude oil, it's the same; no benefit is expected," then generalizes this observation to include minerals. Consequently, the official cancellation of customs duties changes nothing in existing trade flows, according to his interpretation.

According to Émilie Laffitte, a researcher specializing in Sub-Saharan African affairs at the IRIS Institute, "this cancellation of customs duties is largely relative, as African products destined for China have been subject to low taxes until now."

She added that "the few potential gains lie in other areas, particularly in some agricultural or manufactured products. For example, processed cocoa could theoretically have benefited from improved access to the Chinese market, but here too, there are numerous obstacles."

Thierry Pairault affirms: "There is an emerging chocolate industry in China that is highly protected, and in the absence of customs barriers, it is "health and administrative barriers that threaten to hinder" African exports. Under these circumstances, it is difficult to expect any positive impact on manufacturing on the continent," according to him.