Editor's note: Starting Friday, China will expand its zero-tariff policy to cover all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic ties. In an interview with People's Daily, Wang Xuekun, head of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, spoke about how the upgraded policy can enhance China-Africa economic and trade cooperation. Below are excerpts of the interview. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

Trade between China and Africa has registered robust growth in recent years, with continuous improvements in its structure. For 17 consecutive years, China has remained Africa's largest trading partner. The volume of China-Africa trade has hit record highs for five straight years starting 2021, reaching $348.1 billion in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 17.7 percent.

Agricultural products from Africa have increasingly entered the Chinese market, offering Chinese consumers more diverse choices. Other products, such as electromechanical products from Morocco, Tunisia and South Africa and textiles from Egypt, Tanzania and Ethiopia, have also been exported to China. China-Africa trade cooperation is evolving from mere exchanges of goods to the in-depth integration of industry and supply chains.

Under the zero-tariff policy, exports of goods from the 53 African countries with which China has diplomatic ties will be exempt from tariffs. This will reduce export costs, increase profits and enhance the competitiveness of African products.

In the long term, the policy is expected to boost investment and industrial cooperation between China and Africa. By fully opening up China's ultra-large market, the policy will help Africa attract investment and technologies from China and other countries and facilitate the industrialization of the continent.

China has decided to collaborate with Africa and strengthen the resilience of their industry and supply chains at a time when global supply chains are rapidly being restructured. The policy is an upgrade of the zero-tariff measures that China introduced in 2024 for least-developed countries that have diplomatic ties with China, including 33 in Africa. The upgrade will let most African countries benefit from China's zero-tariff measures, allow China and Africa to contribute more to each other's growth, and help promote the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future.

This initiative not only represents institutional innovation that turns the vision of an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era into tangible practice, but also reflects the Global South's efforts to pursue independent development. The policy will inject certainty into the global economy and serve as a new model for South-South cooperation.

While the policy opens the Chinese market wider for African goods, additional measures are needed to ensure these products gain more stable access and perform well in the Chinese market. These additional measures include upgrading the "green channels" for agricultural products, optimizing rules of origin, strengthening alignment of inspection, quarantine and other standards between China and Africa, improving logistics and warehousing systems, and expanding market access.