- China has scrapped tariffs on imports from 53 African countries, extending duty-free access to all but one nation on the continent.
- The policy, which came into effect on Friday, applies to countries that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Beijing.
- Eswatini is the only African country excluded from the scheme due to its diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which China claims as its sovereign territory.
- The Chinese commerce ministry stated the policy aims to make African products more competitive and encourage investment in processing industries within Africa.
- While welcomed by the African Union, some analysts suggest that deeper structural issues in African economies, such as limited industrial capacity, may not be fully addressed by tariff reductions alone.
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