Zero-tariff policy opens new opportunities for Africa

Trade and business bringing people closer

By Liu Shu

Zhejiang is a major province for foreign trade in China. In 2025, its import and export volume with African countries increased by 11.5 percent year-on-year. Jinhua, a city in Zhejiang, is an important hub for trade with African countries. While Jinhua may not be widely known, Yiwu, which is under the jurisdiction of the city, enjoys great popularity.

As a researcher, I propose a few suggestions for seizing the opportunities presented by the zero-tariff policy and advancing people-to-people exchanges between China and African countries.

Efforts should be made to encourage Chinese enterprises to increase imports of high-quality African products and expand their businesses with the African side.

Instead of merely engaging in trade in goods, enterprises need to deepen cooperation in production capacity, industrial park development, logistics and warehousing, and intensive processing of agricultural products. This will help African countries turn their advantage in natural resources into industrial competitiveness, and shift the focus of their exports from raw materials to finished products.

It is essential to take advantage of economic and trade cooperation to deepen and strengthen people-to-people exchanges. The flow of goods and industrial cooperation will help cement the friendship between the two peoples.

As trade and investment cooperation grows stronger, business people, technical teams and young students will visit each other more frequently, enhancing mutual understanding and bridging estrangement through joint work, market alignment and cultural exchanges.

For example, Jinhua, which is home to a large number of business people, and has attracted many African students, conducts China-Africa youth exchanges and vocational training programs on a regular basis. It also hosts the annual Forum on China-Africa Economic, Trade and Cultural Cooperation.

These events have deepened the friendly ties between the people of China and African countries.

The author is the executive dean of the Institute of African Studies of Zhejiang Normal University. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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