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An exhibitor (R) briefs products to a visitor during the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo (CAETE) in Africa (Kenya) 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya, May 9, 2024.

China has decided to give all least developed countries having diplomatic relations with China, including 33 countries in Africa, zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced on Thursday in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

This has made China the first major developing country and the first major economy to take such a step. It will help turn China's big market into Africa's big opportunity, Xi said, Xinhua reported.

China will expand market access for African agricultural products, deepen cooperation with Africa in e-commerce and other areas, and launch a "China-Africa quality enhancement program," Xi said.

Chinese experts said that this new trade measure will not only greatly facilitate trade between Africa and the world's second-largest economy but also inject new impetus into Africa's development through enhanced trade and investment.

"Our offering of zero-tariff treatment to the least developed countries in Africa ... is actually a crucial component of support for trade… The core development concept is to unlock Africa's autonomous development capabilities through enhanced trade, rather than merely increasing the volume and quality of China-Africa trade," Song Wei, a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

In recent years, under the strategic guidance of heads of state from China and Africa, economic and trade cooperation has shown promising results. 

In 2023, China-Africa trade reached $282.1 billion, marking a historic high for the second consecutive year, said Lin Honghong, director of the Department of International Relations of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, at a press briefing for the FOCAC, on Tuesday.

Additionally, over the past three years, Chinese companies have provided more than 1.1 million jobs in Africa. "These figures fully demonstrate that China-Africa economic and trade cooperation continues to maintain strong momentum," said Lin.

The zero-tariff policy will lead to more African agricultural products and mineral resources, which are strengths of Africa, entering China, Song said. 

At the same time, leveraging e-commerce, the new trade policy will promote the entry of more advantageous Chinese products into Africa, meeting the development needs of Africa, and improving the quality of life of the African people, the Chinese expert said.