China’s zero-tariff policy for (nearly) all African countries takes effect

Nearly all African countries have zero-tariff access to China as of today, which Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters will encourage China-Africa trade and investment cooperation. The zero-tariff treatment is also designed to “help Chinese companies explore the African market, bring more opportunities of investment and industrial upgrade to African countries, and build up Africa’s own capacity for development,” Lin said.

In context: Since late 2024, China has included any nation across the world classified by the UN as a least developed country under its zero-tariff regime, in addition to a set of extensive reciprocal trade agreements across Asia, Australasia, and Latin America that ensure zero-tariff access for most goods.

Also from the China corridor…

Jeddah Islamic Port is now directly connected to China’s Shanghai and Nansha, following the addition of the China United Lines (CULines) SGX shipping service. The new route also connected Jeddah to Egypt and other ports in Malaysia, with a capacity of 2.4k TEUs.

Links, links, links: Jeddah has become one of Saudi Arabia’s main tools for adding route density and widening liner access while Red Sea shipping patterns remain under pressure. The port has seen a steady run of new service additions over the past year, including routes tied to India, China, Egypt, Jordan, Singapore, Djibouti, Berbera, and Oman.