On the morning of March 8th, at the press conference on the diplomatic theme of the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress, CMC Politburo member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that China will implement a 100% duty-free policy for all 53 African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China starting from May 1, 2026. This measure, through the "subtraction" of tariffs, promotes the "addition" of trade and the "multiplication" of people's livelihoods. It opens up new growth space for China-Africa textile and clothing trade, and domestic fabric and clothing export orders are expected to experience a concentrated increase. 

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Africa, and it is also the "China-Africa Year of Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges". A series of favorable policies have been implemented one after another. This zero-tariff policy covers all tax items without any category restrictions. It is a large-scale tariff reduction measure in China's opening-up history targeting a single continent. Compared with the previous policies that only covered some of the least developed African countries, it has achieved a triple upgrade in scope, intensity and depth. 

As early as during the 39th African Union Summit on February 14th, China had already sent out this policy signal in advance. With the implementation on May 1st, cotton and textile raw materials from Africa can enter the Chinese market without tariffs, reducing the raw material costs for domestic textile enterprises; at the same time, tariffs for Chinese high-quality fabrics, clothing, home textiles and other products entering the African market have been eliminated, enhancing their price competitiveness and directly driving an increase in orders. 

According to customs data, the trade volume between China and Africa reached 2.49 trillion yuan in 2025, increasing by 18.4% year-on-year and setting a new record high. China has maintained its position as Africa's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years. The trade volume has increased by more than 20 times compared to the initial establishment of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum in 2000. Among them, textile and clothing exports are the third-largest pillar category for exports to Africa: In 2025, China's textile and clothing exports to Africa reached 33.94 billion US dollars, increasing by 10.8% year-on-year, accounting for 8.7% of the national export share of similar products. Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, and Algeria are the top five export destinations, accounting for a total of 58.7%. There is a strong demand for polyester fabrics, pure cotton printed fabrics, batik fabrics, ready-made clothing, and home textiles. 

The local light industry in Africa is weak, and the self-sufficiency rate of textiles is low. It heavily relies on imports, providing a vast market for Chinese textile enterprises. After the zero-tariff policy was implemented, the export costs further decreased, reducing the barriers for small and medium-sized textile enterprises to enter the African market, and there is an expected increase in orders. 

To ensure the implementation of the policies, China has simultaneously upgraded the customs clearance green channel for China-Africa trade, simplified the inspection and quarantine procedures, and shortened the customs clearance time. The customs clearance efficiency for fast-moving consumer goods such as textile fabrics and clothing has been enhanced. At the same time, the China-Africa economic and trade cooperation mechanism has continued to deepen, and the supporting services such as cross-border logistics, financial settlement, and trade dispute resolution have been continuously improved, providing support for textile enterprises to go global. 

The zero-tariff policy not only leads to an expansion of trade scale, but also promotes the transformation of China-Africa textile cooperation from "quantity" to "quality improvement". In the future, high value-added products such as functional fabrics, environmentally friendly recycled textiles, and fashionable ready-to-wear clothing will become the key products for exports to Africa. Domestic textile enterprises can take advantage of the policy momentum to deepen long-term cooperation with African buyers, establish overseas warehouses and offline channels, and build a stable supply chain system. 

By reducing tariffs, we can achieve an increase in trade and benefits for the people. The zero-tariff policy is about to be implemented on May 1st. The textile and clothing industry is now seizing this development opportunity. By seizing the policy window period and expanding the African market, it is expected to become a new engine for the growth of foreign trade. 

Declaration: The content of this article is compiled from the internet and is copyrighted by the original author; if any infringement is found, please notify us immediately and we will delete it.