(CIIE) Buoyed by zero tariffs, African exporters eye bigger China market
Eight years after showcasing Kenyan avocados at the China International Import Expo (CIIE), Tiku Shah is back in Shanghai with a bigger ambition: doubling his company’s avocado shipments to China next year.
For Shah, managing director of Kenyan avocado exporter Sunripe, China’s latest tariff cuts have given his expansion plans a boost.
On May 1, China extended zero-tariff treatment to all 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic ties, benefiting another 20 countries, including Kenya, Ghana and South Africa.
Six months into the expansion, the CIIE, the world’s largest import-themed expo and now in its ninth edition, offers a glimpse of how African exporters are seeking to turn lower trade costs into bigger orders, new partnerships, and opportunities to expand production at home.
A REAL BOON
Since fresh Kenyan avocados gained access to China in 2022, Sunripe has steadily developed its export business. The company has shipped some 500 to 600 tonnes to China so far this year, and Shah sees the elimination of tariffs as a chance to reach more Chinese consumers.
“It makes our products cheaper and more affordable, so more Chinese people can enjoy them,” he said.
Beyond lower tariffs, Shah cited shipping and customs clearance as advantages. He said shipments from Kenya take about 25 days to reach China by sea and can clear customs within the day of arrival.
Chinese fruit importer Joy Wing Mau has also seen tangible benefits. Huang Li, the company’s head of brand communications for the Chinese market, said tariffs on South African citrus had fallen from 10 to 12 percent to zero since May, reducing import costs by about 10 percent.
Since the policy took effect, the company’s imports of South African citrus have risen 50 percent year on year. “The policy has encouraged more businesses to explore the Chinese market and generated more purchase orders,” Huang said.
Alongside tariff cuts, China has upgraded its “green channel” for African agricultural and food products, streamlining quarantine procedures to facilitate imports.
NEW MARKETS, NEW OPPORTUNITIES
At this year’s CIIE, many first-time African exhibitors are seeking to capitalize on China’s expanded zero-tariff policy and gain a foothold in the Chinese market.
Cote d’Ivoire’s official delegation is making its debut in the CIIE’s business exhibition this year, bringing more than 20 companies to a roughly 200-square-meter booth showcasing cocoa, cashews and tropical fruits.
“Many of our companies are testing the Chinese market for the first time, and their expectations are high,” said Kaladji Fadiga, director general of the Cote d’Ivoire Export Agency. He said the agency has established a joint working group with the Chinese embassy to help exporters tap opportunities under the zero-tariff policy and connect with potential buyers at the CIIE.
This year’s CIIE features an upgraded Asia-Africa products zone, with free exhibition space for the least-developed countries increased by 17 percent, giving more businesses a chance to showcase their products and connect with Chinese buyers.
The opportunities extend beyond agricultural products. For South Africa’s automotive component manufacturers, China’s expansion of the zero-tariff policy “has come at a very opportune time,” said Lebalang Molobele, head of skills and people development at the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers.
Participating in the CIIE for the first time, the association represents automotive component suppliers to global carmakers, including BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Most of its members have traditionally exported to Europe and the United States, but are now seeking opportunities to supply Chinese buyers and work with Chinese manufacturers operating in South Africa.
“We need to diversify our sources of income, explore new export markets and remain competitive as an industry,” Molobele said, adding that China presents an important opportunity for South African manufacturers.
MORE THAN EXPORTS
China’s zero-tariff policy, expanded in May from 33 to 53 African countries, will remain in place for the newly covered countries through April 2028, giving exporters greater certainty to plan beyond immediate sales.
For Ghana’s Cocoa Processing Company PLC, the policy’s coverage of eligible goods, both raw and processed, opens up opportunities beyond expanding exports to China. It could also mean processing more cocoa beans at home and keeping more of the industry’s value within Ghana.
The company entered the Chinese market in 2025 and has since shipped about 2,000 tonnes of cocoa mass, a key ingredient in chocolate production. The removal of tariffs has strengthened its competitiveness in a market where it expects demand to grow.
That prospect comes as Ghana seeks to process half of its locally grown cocoa beans domestically rather than export them as raw materials. The company, which also makes chocolate bars, chocolate spreads and cocoa beverages, plans to expand its annual processing capacity to 200,000 tonnes by 2028, compared with its current processing volume of about 60,000 tonnes.
Stronger demand from China could help support that expansion, said Nana Ansong, the company’s sales manager. More processing in Ghana, he explained, would mean greater demand for locally grown cocoa beans, while creating opportunities for investment, employment and growth across the cocoa industry.
Shao Yu, chief economist at the Innovation Center of the School of Management, Fudan University, said China’s zero-tariff policy not only makes African products more competitive in the Chinese market but also gives local businesses greater certainty to invest in product standardization and higher-value processing.
The expanding scope of China-Africa economic ties is reflected in the latest trade figures. In the first nine months of 2026, bilateral trade reached 312.11 billion U.S. dollars, up 22.3 percent year on year, while China’s imports from Africa rose 18.5 percent to 109.14 billion dollars.
“Combined with streamlined customs procedures, trade matchmaking and investment cooperation across industrial chains, the policy can deliver even greater benefits, opening up new areas of China-Africa trade and supporting broader development across the Global South,” Shao said.
For African businesses, the significance of China’s expanded zero-tariff policy may ultimately be measured not just by the duties saved or the goods shipped, but by the new markets they enter, the partnerships they build and the industries they help grow at home.
Reference Link:- https://english.news.cn/20261109/821ec082170b48cea7ae58b306f4bbe7/c.html
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
