Column: Beyond aid: China's zero-tariff strategy and Africa's development path

Far from being symbolic, the policy has the potential to trigger a transformative cycle of economic development across Africa while aligning closely with China's own economic evolution.

by Maya Majueran

At the 39th African Union Summit on Saturday, China announced that it will fully implement zero-tariff treatment for 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China starting from May 1, 2026.

It is not only a routine trade policy update but also a signal of how Beijing understands development, partnership and influence in the Global South.

By institutionalizing full market access for African exports, China is positioning itself not only as Africa's largest trading partner, but also as a key driver of economic cooperation, offering an alternative pathway for integration into the global economy -- one less conditioned on political alignment or governance benchmarks traditionally imposed by Western-led systems. This marks a significant milestone in South-South cooperation and offers a tangible blueprint for building what China terms "a community with a shared future for humanity."

Far from being symbolic, the policy has the potential to trigger a transformative cycle of economic development across Africa while aligning closely with China's own economic evolution.

At its core, the zero-tariff initiative strengthens African economic sovereignty. By removing tariff barriers, it directly addresses one of the continent's most persistent constraints: limited export competitiveness. African products from Ethiopian coffee and Kenyan avocados to Senegalese fish and Ghanaian cocoa will gain smoother, more competitive access to the world's second-largest consumer market. Crucially, this is not merely about exporting raw materials, but about creating stable and predictable demand that incentivizes production, scaling, and value-chain development.

The broader economic effects could be substantial. Expanded access to the Chinese market can translate into higher export volumes and more stable foreign-exchange earnings. Such inflows are essential for macroeconomic stability: they ease balance-of-payments pressures, reduce exposure to currency volatility, and expand fiscal space for public investment in infrastructure, healthcare, and education. Over time, this stability can reduce reliance on emergency financing and conditional lending from the International Monetary Fund and other Western-dominated institutions, allowing African states to move beyond cycles of austerity-driven debt management rather than perpetually reshuffling liabilities.

Employment effects are equally significant. Meeting Chinese demand will require African producers to scale up operations, generating jobs across the value chain from farms and processing facilities to logistics, transport, and marketing. For a continent with the world's youngest population and persistently high unemployment, this labour absorption carries both economic and political weight. Trade policy thus becomes a visible instrument for improving livelihoods, easing social pressures, and translating growth into tangible outcomes rather than abstract statistics.

China's accompanying pledge to strengthen skills training and support agriculture, biotechnology, and manufacturing reinforces the impact of tariff liberalization by addressing long-standing supply-side constraints. The objective is clear: to move African economies beyond a narrow raw-material export model. Beijing is signalling support for industrial and agricultural upgrading, not merely market access in isolation.

The emphasis on agriculture is particularly vital. By offering a vast and relatively stable market for African agricultural produce, China incentivizes investment in productivity and food security. Reliable export income enables farmers to invest in improved inputs, technology, and production techniques, raising yields for both export and domestic markets. A more productive and resilient agricultural sector thus becomes a first line of defence against chronic food insecurity.

For China, the policy dovetails with domestic economic priorities. A wealthier Africa with a growing middle class represents a significant future market for Chinese exports, from consumer goods to industrial equipment. At the same time, China's transition toward consumption-driven growth increases demand for imports, especially food, agricultural products, and intermediate goods. In this sense, the policy reflects Beijing's conception of a "shared future": deeper integration that supports African development while reinforcing China's own economic rebalancing. Properly managed, it constitutes a genuinely win-win arrangement rather than a zero-sum trade relationship.

This is the practical meaning of a "shared future." It is not aid, but an empowered partnership. China gains a stable and growing partner region, diversifies supply chains, and advances its strategic economic objectives. Africa gains unprecedented market access, technology, and investment to build its industrial and agricultural base, generate employment, and strengthen financial stability.

In a world increasingly fragmented by protectionism and geopolitical rivalry, this model of development-focused cooperation stands out. It demonstrates that globalization can be reshaped to deliver more inclusive outcomes. By focusing on Africa's productive capacity, China is laying the foundations for mutually beneficial partnerships that will fuel its future economic growth. The zero-tariff policy may well be the key that unlocks this virtuous cycle, proving that shared prosperity is not merely aspirational, but economically achievable.

Editor's note: Maya Majueran serves as the director of the Belt and Road Initiative Sri Lanka, an independent and pioneering organization with strong expertise in Belt and Road Initiative advice and support.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Xinhua News Agency.■