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 have diplomatic relations with Beijing.

China did away with tariffs on all goods from 33 of Africa’s least-developed countries in December 2024. It has now brought a further 20 countries into the scheme, giving them duty-free treatment through preferential rates until 30 April 2028, according to Global Times.

This means that every African country with diplomatic ties to China is now covered by the scheme. The only exception is Eswatini, which is one of a handful of mostly small countries that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, a self-governed island that China claims as its sovereign territory.

The Chinese commerce ministry said the policy change would make African products more competitive in its market.

Goods expected to benefit include cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, citrus fruits and wine from South Africa, and coffee and avocados from Kenya, according to Xinhua.

The ministry said the policy could also encourage investment in processing industries within Africa.

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, said on Wednesday that the policy was an “expression of China’s willingness to voluntarily expand openness and assume more international responsibilities”.

“It aims to share opportunities with Africa and achieve common development,” he said.

China is Africa’s largest trading partner. The Asian giant imported over £90bn worth of goods from the continent in 2025, up 5.4 per cent from the previous year, according to China’s General Administration of Customs, Xinhua reported. Total bilateral trade reached £255bn last year.

Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chairperson of the African Union Commission, said the policy was “very timely” for a continent facing global economic pressures and rising protectionism. “I would like to express, on behalf of the African Union Commission, our sincere gratitude for this very brotherly gesture that all Africans appreciate,” he said.

The new tariff policy is part of China’s broader economic strategy laid out in the 15th Five-Year Plan, which runs from 2026 to 2030 and commits to expanding market openness and strengthening trade and investment cooperation in the coming years, according to Xinhua.

Lauren Johnston, research fellow at the AustChina Institute, told BBC News that the expansion of duty-free access could increase agricultural exports and “help elevate rural incomes, improve rural productivity, and ultimately reduce hunger and poverty”.

Some analysts, however, noted that tariffs were rarely the main obstacle for African exporters, pointing instead to deeper structural issues.

Jervin Naidoo, political analyst at Oxford Economics Africa, said that “many African economies still face structural constraints such as limited industrial capacity, weak logistics, and reliance on raw commodity exports, which tariff reductions alone cannot address”.