The Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration announced that China allowed duty free access to 1,644 items that will be exported from Ethiopia. Ethiopia is not required to fulfill any obligation in return.

China has already granted duty free access to Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, the Kingdom of Lesotho, Malawi, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. These countries began to benefit from the scheme starting from December 1 this year.

In 2021, China announced that it would import goods worth USD 3000 billion from Africa in the following three years. It also promised to increase the number of products which were covered by the zero-tariff policy.

Bilateral trade relations between Africa and China reached USD 236 billion in October 2022.

Source: Fana BC and Global Times