China's policy of zero tariffs on imports from African countries is beginning to yield initial results. More than a hundred days after the measures were implemented, a wider range of African goods are reaching the Chinese market, ranging from fruits and coffee to processed agricultural products. According to data from China Customs, imports from Africa reached 193.8 billion yuan, or approximately $28.7 billion, during May and June, an increase of 23.5 percent year-on-year.
China has fully implemented zero tariffs on goods originating from 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations since May 1, 2026. One of the first shipments to take advantage of these new conditions was 24 tons of fresh apples from the Republic of South Africa. Since then, Kenyan avocados, South African wine, and blueberries from Zimbabwe have been added.
Some agricultural products have seen the most significant growth. Avocado imports into China increased by 130 percent year-on-year in May and June, while apple imports rose by 89.6 percent and orange imports by 27.9 percent. In July, Zimbabwe also exported its first shipment of blueberries to China, which the local export agency ZimTrade describes as a significant opportunity for domestic agriculture.
However, according to African entrepreneurs, the importance of zero tariffs lies not only in increasing the volume of exports. Companies are receiving greater incentives to invest in processing raw materials, packaging, certification, or logistics chains. For example, the Rwandan company Fisher Global has begun exporting processed pickled chili peppers to China, in addition to dried chili peppers. The first shipment, weighing 550 kilograms, was sent to Shandong province in June.
A similar trend is evident with coffee. The Ethiopian company Awo Coffee sends approximately 90 percent of its roasted products to China. Representatives of the Ethiopian coffee industry expect that China could become the largest importer of Ethiopian coffee within the next three years, especially due to the growing demand for specialty varieties.
According to experts, a more important long-term shift for African economies is moving from exporting raw materials to producing products with higher added value. This would mean more processing directly in Africa, creating jobs, and keeping a larger share of the value chain within local economies.
Trade is also growing in the opposite direction. Chinese exports of electromechanical products to Africa reached 534.11 billion yuan, or approximately $79 billion, in the first half of 2026, an increase of 28.8 percent year-on-year. Roughly three-quarters of China's exports to Africa consist of capital goods and intermediate products that can be used, for example, in industrialization or agricultural modernization.
Zero tariffs are therefore likely to further change the structure of Sino-African trade. In addition to greater access for African goods to the vast Chinese consumer market, they also create opportunities for the development of local processing industries and a deeper integration of African countries into global value chains.
gnews.cz