South African experts believe that South Africa and other African countries will benefit significantly from China’s zero-tariff policy if they improve their production capacity and export more value-added products.
The experts shared these insights on Friday during a webinar hosted by the Sino-SA Media Club focusing on China’s zero-tariff policy, which has been extended to 53 African countries holding diplomatic relations with China and took effect on May 1.
Gabila Nubong, a senior lecturer at the School of Economic Sciences at North-West University, said African countries must capitalise on this opportunity to scale up their exports to China.
“China has extended a hand of friendship to South Africa and the wider continent, and the onus is on us to address structural challenges to fully benefit from that offer,” Nubong said.
“As Africans, we must improve and expand our production capacity to manufacture higher-quality goods for export to China. The offer is a major step in the right direction.”
He urged the Southern African Development Community to develop cohesive industrial policies and regional value chains to leverage the zero-tariff framework at both regional and continental levels.
David Monyae, director of the Center for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, said the zero-tariff policy is a golden opportunity for African nations to diversify and increase their exports to China.
Monyae noted that Africa possesses 60 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land, giving it immense potential to scale up agricultural exports to China.
The continent has a massive opportunity to enter the Chinese market competitively in terms of quality, quantity, and pricing, he added.
However, Monyae pointed out that China has also opened its market to other developing regions in Asia and Latin America, meaning African exporters must maintain high standards to compete effectively.
He urged African nations to eliminate non-tariff barriers, specifically by tackling domestic logistics bottlenecks and port inefficiencies to ensure the seamless export of goods.
Wu Peng, Chinese ambassador to South Africa, encouraged African enterprises to actively participate in Chinese trade expos and engage directly with their Chinese counterparts to boost trade.
He also advised African businesses to utilise Chinese e-commerce platforms to effectively reach the vast consumer market.
